A NATION BLESSED BY GOD by Robert Soto

A NATION BLESSED BY GOD by Robert Soto

February 25, 2010

Genesis 24:31 "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD," he said. "Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels."

Several yeas ago, during one of our hot summers I had the privilege of hosting a group of kids from a church in Ohio. They had come to South Texas to help in our church and to work with an orphanage in Mexico. At the orphanage, we were to spend two nights in the same building with the orphans. It was an interesting experience. The keepers of the orphanage made sure when the teens were not working that they were playing and working with the fifty-five plus orphans. Most of the orphans just wanted to be touched or hugged and have their hand held. Evening came and we all went to bed. I must confess, it was the middle of our summer which brings temperatures between 104 to 110 all day long. Nights only get down to the high 80's to low 90's. Very quickly, the kids discovered that they could not sleep in such hot muggy conditions. One teenage girl said, "How can the children sleep in such misery?"

It wasn't before long that another church group knocked on our door and said, "Why don't you and your team come to the rooftop and sleep on the roof. At least you have the wind to cool you off. So everyone gladly grabbed their sleeping bags and moved to the rooftop. It was a four-story building and the roof was flat. We joined the other group for a time of meditation and all I heard was how fortunate we were to live in America. It was then that I decided to go to the edge of the rooftop and see the lights shining on the other side of the river that now divides our two countries. It was then that I saw my town through the eyes of a poor person from Mexico. It looked like the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. It glittered with all its glory. It lit up the sky like diamonds glittering in the sky. Then two things struck me: one was how blessed we are to live in the United States, and the second was why the poor in Mexico would do whatever it takes to get to the other side and be a part of our prosperity. So then I saw that we are truly blessed. That for some reason, God the Creator has chosen to bless our nation, regardless of our imperfections. Laban said, "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD..."

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian Church