Yesterday a picture went viral.
A police officer carrying the dead body of little boy out of the Mediterrenean sea in Turkey. The boy had tried to flee across the sea and had drowned in a boat that’s been way too small and way too old for such a precious load.
This is not the first incident, it’s just the peek of inhumanity in a series of terrible events going on in Europe at the moment. People trying to enter our countries, and all they hear is NO.
NO to a place to stay.
NO to something to eat.
NO to transport.
NO to a job.
NO to them as people, as human beings who have something to offer to this world and community.
The daily news of burned down refugee homes, aggressive demonstrations and the most horrible posts on social media make it hard to believe in a bright future, in something better to come.
There’s just NO and uncertainty.
But in all that darkness, in the midst of desperation, there’s a YES.
A YES that resounds from the beginning of time when it was first spoken.
The YES that the One God uttered and then made people.
YES to create fragile, tempted, vulnerable, often horrible, hurting human beings.
YES to beloved children who make a lot of mistakes and are more lost than they would ever know, yet are also more saved than they will ever dare to hope.
His YES starts ringing like a whisper in our hearts, gaining strength until it fills our entire being.
He said YES to us. And His YES can give us the courage, faith, and strength to say YES to others.
YES to welcoming people into our countries.
YES to opening our doors to them.
YES to listening to their stories, holding their hands when they’re shaking with fear.
YES to giving away food, housing, any kind of support.
YES to mirroring Jesus in places of despair and uncertainty.
Let there be YES and a bit more hope in this broken, broken world.
If you’re as disgusted and compelled as me by the happenings in Europe at the moment, please check out more resources. And pray, if that’s all you can do.
thisiskatha.com 
It is heartbreaking. Thanks for standing tall in this crisis!
I couldn't agree with you more, Katha. The news has been heart breaking for me. Hard to imagine such suffering. Our churches in Turkey have been working to try to help refugees for so many months now. It is overwhelming. God still sits on the throne though, even when we don't understand.
Thank you, Christina!
Thanks, Tara!
Hi, Katha, yes praying God will be with these families.Thank you for bringing the injustice into the light with your words.
Katha, beautiful post. The events in Europe are indeed so heartbreaking. I will continue to pray. And yes to is mirroring Jesus' ways. I'm parked in the 15 spot this week.