Almost 200 Auburn University students and professors assembled to march on campus February 2nd, protesting President Donald Trump's ban on immigrants and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries (Jim Little, OANOW). Compared to the entire Auburn University student body, this is only a tiny portion of people.
However, in the grand scheme of things, 200 people means... 200 voices, 200 heartaches, 200 affected lives, and honestly, this makes me so sad.
While the motives for the protest are very clear, peacefully exercising their right to free speech, there are a few indications of hatred that are very evident. It is completely understandable to be calling upon change. These 200 people were obviously very much negatively affected, and the fact that this large number felt so strongly about it that they chose to go out of their way to show it proves that the last thing that fellow students need to be doing is diminishing what they are feeling. However, it is not my intention to either support or go against their protest, but to mend a few hearts.
Although for some people it is very hard to look at Trump's issue in a positive way, it is not so hard to look at it in God's way. And sometimes this may be hard to, because it is always easier to find the negatives in everything. Even though this may be the case most of the time, we have to remember who is really in control. Proverbs 10:12 says "Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs." God never wants us to walk around with hate in our hearts.
It's easy to pay so much attention to the world and let it take over our lives. God says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." God is with us always. God's love and power is in us, and no amount of ban on immigration or president power can take that away.
Ephesians 4:31 says "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." If we replace all of the hate in our hearts and let God take over, there's no telling where we can go. Sometimes it's hard to let go of pain and anger. Sometimes it's hard to have hope. But that's just the thing. We have to have hope. We have to trust God. We have to believe that sometimes bad things have to happen in order to bring something good.
Sometimes you have to take a shot in the dark, knowing a thing can only produce something beautiful if it dies first (John 12:24). Because of God, we will get through.
