“Mommy. He spilled milk on the dining room carpet.”
“No! She left it near the edge so when I walked by it knocked over. It’s her fault.”
“No – it wasn’t near the edge. He moved it there.”
“Guys, I don’t care whose fault it is. Somebody just pick up the cup so it stops spilling and get a paper towel to clean up the mess please.”
All too often we are so busy trying to figure out whose fault something is that nobody bothers to pick up the cup that’s still spilling water. This problem is as old as the creation story when Adam blamed not only the woman but also God. In Genesis 3:12 Adam said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” And so began the eternal blame shifting.
When we see kids in despair because of being separated from their parents, our first response shouldn’t be “Whose fault is it” but instead should be “how do we fix this?” And not, “How do they fix this” but “how do we fix this?” In reality, many of us may not be able to do much from our homes far away from the crisis. But we can pray and find out who is doing good work, pray for them, and if we are able, donate money.
I’m not saying we should never look to the cause of the problem. Without a doubt, we need to analyze policy and policy enforcement to determine the best strategies to address the issue. But most of us on social media are not policy experts and lack the nuanced understanding of situations to offer an accurate and just analysis.
So instead of arguing with one another, let’s work together to make things better. Here are some ideas:
If you feel the need to advocate, call your representatives by dialing 202-224-3121 and typing in your zip code and tell them to support the “Keep Families Together” Act (S. 3036, https://www.congress.gov/bi…/115th-congress/senate-bill/3036).
If you want to donate, find a group doing good work and donate.
If you don’t feel that this is your cause or disagree with me about the policy issues, then that’s okay.
But instead of arguing with people to try to get them to agree with you, go outside and help others. Bring a neighbor food. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen. Pray for all involved. Just focus on doing good instead of playing the blame game!
Ephesians 2: 10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Beauty in the Brokenness 
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