January 27th is Holocaust Remembrance day. It is set on the day in 1945 that the concentration camp, Auschwitz, was liberated. The Holocaust is a lesson in what happens when people give up hope, faith, trust and love and give in to fear, uncertainty, anger and power.
A while ago the Auschwitz Memorial posted this on their social media: 'One of the biggest challenges when we study the tragedy of Auschwitz is to understand that the perpetrators were not monsters. They were people - fathers, husbands and dog owners - who accepted the ideology of hatred and evil and were able to do monstrous things on its behalf.'
This was hard to read. Many of the people who commented disagreed with what the Memorial had posted. It is easier to think of the people who carried out those acts of evil as monsters. It is easier to think of them as something less than human, but they were people - scared people, angry people, and hopeless people. We all have darkness in us, but we also have light and when you feed one you starve the other.
'I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:19-24 I once wrote an article about love and how Christians are called to love as Christ loves. I was challenged with this question: How is it possible to love all people? I have often wrestled with this. Some people do not seem worthy or deserving of love. How can God ask us to love as He loves?
Forgiveness. I think love can start with forgiveness. By forgiving someone you don't absolve what they did, but you see their humanity and their brokenness and you block their hatred and fear from infecting your love and light. Many of the survivors of Auschwitz talk of forgiving those who terrorized them. It seems unfathomable to me. I try to remind myself (and believe me I have to remind myself, because the darkness inside of me is often hungry and wants to punch some people in the throat), but I do remind myself to see people with God's eyes. Then, instead of feeling anger and loathing, I feel heartbreak and pity. A person who willingly chooses to inflict misery on another, whether it be as horrendous as the Holocaust or as benign as a negative social media post, has to be hurt or lost or damaged or afraid.
We are told in Deuteronomy 30:19 that God has given us the choice between life and death, blessings and curses. I can't change the behavior of others. I can't change the actions of others. I can change my response.
'When we look at Auschwitz we see the end of the process. It's important to remember that the Holocaust actually did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes and prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization and escalating violence.' Auschwitz Memorial I choose to see the humanity in others. I choose to see the light. I choose the love that leads to life. Grace and peace, Becky Long
Pastor Don Long is Senior Pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1212 Calhoun St., Macomb, IL 61455, https:// www.macombwesleyumc.com, (309) 833-2153
