Guest post from my wife Emily Lassiter: 3 reasons you should care about justice

I don't know if every kid is like this, but when I was young, issues of injustice really made me angry. Not the usual 'You took my blocks' type of injustice, but making fun of kids with disabilities, blatant racism, and treating people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds like second-class citizens type of injustice.

Now that I've grown into an adult, I'm even more passionate about justice. Some might say this is a special calling on my life - and to a degree it is - but I believe God wants us all to care about justice...and to care enough to do something about it.





As we look around, I don't think it takes a special calling or passion to see that something's wrong with our world and something needs to be done to address it. Because of how God made me, I can't help but care about matters of justice. Here are 3 reasons I think ALL Christians should care about justice:

1.  God cares about justice. God hates injustice because He is fully just. The more I grow in my faith and understanding of God's character, the more I see where my passion for justice originates. As we grow to be more like Him, we begin to care about the things He cares about. Pastor and Author Timothy Keller says "The Bible is a book devoted to justice in the world from first to last." As we study the Bible and pray for God to make our hearts more like His, we begin to love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. God hates injustice and we should too. You can find a book by Timothy Keller on justice here.
   
2. God has called His followers to DO justice. Doing nothing is not an option. "God has called his people - all of God's people - to do the work of justice." - Bethany H. Hoang. Justice isn't a spectator sport. In one of my favorite verses, Micah 6:8, God gives His church marching orders: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" God may call us to do the work of justice in different ways, but He has called His church to "do justice." We can't continue to focus on our own lives while watching injustice flourish and not the people God created and loves. Imagine what the world would look like if Jesus' followers throughout the world worked together against injustice. It's a win-win, really. It would not only promote justice, but unity within the church as we serve on His mission together.
3. Lives depend on it. I'll never forget reading the account by Christine Caine of a young woman rescued from human trafficking who asked "If God is so good, why didn't you come sooner?" Those words still stir me to tears today. The young woman in this story was one of the few who survived being shipped across the ocean in a shipping container before being sold into sexual slavery. There are people all over the world waiting for justice. There are people in our communities waiting for someone to care enough to step into the brokenness of their lives, be an advocate for them, and point them to hope. You have the opportunity to make a difference and I guarantee that it won't only change them, but it will change your life in the process. Knowing lives depend on it, will you go? 

What's one area that God breaks your heart over injustice? I'd love to hear from you about it.

You can read more about Christine Caine and her anti-human trafficking organization, The A21 Campaign, here. Over the last few weeks, I've had the opportunity to read two books that have encouraged my passion for and calling to do justice. You can find Deeping the Soul for Justice by Bethany H. Hoang here and Just Courage by Gary A. Haugen - President and CEO of International Justice Mission here. These are both great resources that I highly recommend.

 Emily Lassiter is married to Chris Lassiter and together they have 5 children. She is the area Coordinator for YoungLives, an outreach ministry to pregnant and parenting teenage mothers. You can contact her at younglivesvalley@gmail.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.