"Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children, and to your children's children." —Deutoronomy 4:9
Ange & I got to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in DC this weekend where we saw this quote. I am almost speechless to describe the experience... But we spent nearly 5 hours there that we will not very quickly forget.
They say you always see history in 20/20 vision: it was devastating to relive the tragic story of World War II and especially to see such prolonged indifference to the horrific atrocities of the Holocaust. I wonder what I would have done if I lived in the midst of the Holocaust — would I have been one to risk my life to speak up, intervene, defend and protect those being unjustly persecuted? Or would I have been one who silently watched and secretly "thanked God" that it wasn't me being dragged to a death camp? I would hope that I would have been like Corrie ten Boom who, to the peril of her own family, saved many lives from the hands of the Nazi and brought them into the Kingdom of God. Lord, may we not turn a blind eye to injustice and may You break our hearts for what breaks Yours...
They say you always see history in 20/20 vision: it was devastating to relive the tragic story of World War II and especially to see such prolonged indifference to the horrific atrocities of the Holocaust. I wonder what I would have done if I lived in the midst of the Holocaust — would I have been one to risk my life to speak up, intervene, defend and protect those being unjustly persecuted? Or would I have been one who silently watched and secretly "thanked God" that it wasn't me being dragged to a death camp? I would hope that I would have been like Corrie ten Boom who, to the peril of her own family, saved many lives from the hands of the Nazi and brought them into the Kingdom of God. Lord, may we not turn a blind eye to injustice and may You break our hearts for what breaks Yours...
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—
And there was no one left to speak for me."
—Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), Lutheran minister & early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler's regime
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—
And there was no one left to speak for me."
—Martin Niemoller (1892-1984), Lutheran minister & early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler's regime
1 comments:
wow..the picture is amazing!! wish i had seen it all! I love the scripture! ...it reminds me of a favorite life guiding scripture;
"I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands."
Psalm 78:2b-7
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