Have you ever broken a bone? I have, many times. I remember falling over at school once, with tears in my eyes I walked into the sickbay, clenching my wrist I sobbed “I think I broke my arm”. Luckily, a paramedic was there picking up another student. He inspected my arm and concluded that “It’s not broken. You’re fine”. I didn’t feel fine. My mum took me to the hospital, turns out it was broken. They wrapped my arm in plaster and as I was leaving, guess who I saw? The paramedic. I confidently strolled over to him and shoved my cast in his face “I told you it was broken!”.
In this world, ‘breaking’ is inevitable. We are all a little broken. Sadly, because of sin we don’t only ‘break’ ourselves, but we can also ‘break’ others. Every act of injustice is like a fractured bone – left untreated, it never heals.
The bible makes it clear that we are to care about Social Injustice. We are called to “DO Justice to the afflicted and destitute” (Psalms 82:3). To “Love our neighbour as ourselves” (Matthew 22:39). We need to serve, to heal, to demand change.
This year we’ve seen catastrophic fires, a global pandemic and the exposure of institutional racism that is oppressing millions. It’s overwhelming. Maybe you feel paralysed by it all that you don’t know where to begin. I hear you. I know it seems terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, we are actually CREATED to do it.
Here is a simple 5-STEP guide on how you can start ‘healing broken bones’:
Step 1. Look out for the ‘Pain’ Signs:
Some issues don’t have obvious ‘symptoms’. Step #1 is to seek to understand. Educate yourself on various social injustice issues, so you can start seeing the faint ‘bruises’ that can often be hard to notice. Most importantly, don’t assume you know. Ask where it hurts, and when they show you, don’t ever say “that doesn’t look that painful”. You’re not the one with the broken bone.
Step 2. Treat the right bone!
When an injury isn’t our own, we may try and ‘fix’ the area we think is broken and end up having it all wrong. If we failed Step 1, and haven’t sought to understand, we could cause more damage. The person with the broken bone knows where the issue lies, and what treatments would work best. Don’t assume, listen. Support organisations that work with discriminated groups, not just for them. Working together ensures you’re both addressing the correct ‘bone’.
Step 3. Assist, but let them heal!
Bones are fascinating. With time, and proper care they can heal themselves. If it’s a severe break, or someone has a dislocation, they may need help to reposition it. Help when it’s required. But allow the bone to do its thing. Strive for a “hand up”, not a “hand out” approach. Often, it’s a lack of resources or opportunity, that stops a person from helping themselves, not a lack of ability. Empower the people you’re helping, don’t take over. Allow the owner of the bone to take charge of their healing. After all, it’s their bone.
Step 4. Don’t forget Physio!
When the break is healing, it’s a little fragile. Physio helps restore it to strength. If the break was severe, it may take longer. Physio looks different for every situation, it can be painful, tiresome and hard. Be patient and trust the process. Be a supportive friend to those going through this process. Note that for some causes, the long-term healing is the most important part. Some issues don’t have an ‘overnight fix’. That’s ok, in time, the bone will heal.
Step 5. Practice the 4R’s: Recover, Reflect, Reevaluate and Repeat.
Unlike a broken bone, the pain experienced by others can transfer over to you. They call it ‘Secondary Trauma’. Be aware of it, but not afraid of it. Like how physical pain tells the body something’s wrong, the anguish you feel inside you when you hear of the suffering of others, is the sobering reminder that injustice is intrinsically wrong. Use it to motivate you to keep going, but remember to take time to recover too. If you’re overwhelmed by every injustice, focus on the ‘bone’ in front of you. Reflect and Reevaluate. Learn from your own learnings and keep learning. Pray, take a breath and repeat the process.
Remember no one expects you to be perfect. Being genuine and showing up is the most important part. God calls you to serve, how each person does that is different.
WRITER: Michaela Jones, One half of the Social JustUs Podcast.
To find out more about issues of Social injustice, search @socialjustus.podcast or www.socialjustuspodcast.com