Sometimes I wish my eyes hadn’t been opened
Sometimes I wish I could no longer see
All of the pain and the hurt and the longing of my
Sisters and me as we try to be free
Sometimes I wish my eyes hadn’t been opened,
Just for an hour, how sweet it would be
Not to be struggling, not to be striving,
But just sleep securely in our slavery.
But now that I’ve seen with my eyes, I can’t close them,
Because deep inside me somewhere I’d still know
The road that my sisters and I have to travel:
My heart would say, "Yes" and my feet would say "Go!"
Sometimes I wish my eyes hadn’t been opened,
But now that they have, I’m determined to see:
That somehow my sisters and I will be one day
The free people we were created to be.

(Words and Music By Carol Etzler, 1974 published by Sisters Unlimited,  RR 1 Box 1420, Bridgeport, VT 05734)

Sometimes I wish my eyes had not been opened to see all the cruel things we do to God’s children, our sisters and our brothers – the family God has given us.

Each person in this room is on a journey – each starting at a unique time and place.

When I was a child I grew up on a farm in a white community, blessed with the opportunity to meet persons of other cultures. With my Dad being an Extension Agent with 4-H Club Work we were blessed to have international persons in our home. As a child I did not realize why those persons always stayed with us – I always looked forward to such times and saw them as a blessing, but after the summer Peter spent with our family I knew. Near the end of the summer Peter, who was African, spent a weekend with another family who took him to town for an evening of bowling. Peter was almost beaten up – and why – the color of his skin.

In 1972 I worked at the National 4-H Center with the Citizenship Short Course program in which 4-Hers from all over the country were in attendance. I knew that in 4-H all persons were treated equally, even the Extension Service stationary stated this fact. But reality was not as I had assumed. Some states sent their European American youth one week, Native American another and African American another, etc. Each week held learners, but one week I had a very painful learning. One of my responsibilities was the leading of recreation and folk and square dancing. One night as I began to lead folk and square dancing with a group of European American 4-Hers I asked a colleague, Eric, to assist me. As I took his hand and began to dance the room emptied. Why? I had broken the rules of their society – I had dared to dance with an African American.

What else had I not seen? White privilege. That journey continues. What else had I not seen?

In 2001 Judith Siaba and I traveled to Burma in your name. We found a very isolated country, with a very cruel military regime – forced labor, slave labor, child labor, sex slavery, and children forced to serve in the military, etc. The International Labor Organization has sanctioned Burma and discourages countries from doing business with them. The U.S. State Department has also documented the human right violations, but have we responded? United Methodist Women refuse to purchase items from this country, but the US government has not taken such a stand. Why do we not see some human rights violations?

250 million children between 5-14 years of age work for a living. 700,000 – 2 million women and children are trafficked each year.

What had I not seen? What had you not seen?

Just for a moment close your eyes and think back through this week and consider:

We must also consider questions such as: When the decisions are made – Who is seated at the table? Who is heard? Who makes the decisions? Who benefits? Who is hurt?

There are people in this room who are not allowed to share gifts God has given them because they are not seated at the table or heard when there are at the table.

Who do you see making the decisions? What are we told? What is not said? Who is hurt? Who benefits?

Former Congressman Ronald V. Dellums has said, "If I were to travel to a nation and could read only one document to prepare myself, I would read the budget. The budget defines the values, the principles, and the priorities of a nation. What a nation decides to spend its money on speaks volumes about what it believes is vital, valuable, and important."

Who is benefitting from the way our government is spending our resources? Who is hurt?

Since 1996 our government has altered how we deal with our most vulnerable. Last evening you met such people. Can you remember a time when you did not have health insurance, money to buy food or pay necessary bills? Are the voices of the 33 million people living in poverty, 41 million who lack health insurance, 30,000 who will lose childcare being heard? The proposed discretionary budget for FY 2004 would allocate 59% of our government’s budget for military and homeland security.

It appears that the issue group discussions this week have all related. Poverty is a concern for me. Peace is a concern for me. These two issues are related.

I care about Americans who are placed in harm’s way. I know young folks serving our armed services – young folks who could be sent to war. Within this body are person’s whose spouses, children, grandchildren serve in our armed forces. I care about these God’s children, but I also care about God’s children in other lands. Our Biblical calling to be peacemakers and the UMC’s long standing support for peace and justice lead me to "seek peace and pursue it". The UM Discipline speaks to me when it says, "We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them." (UMC Social Principles 165C)

Thus, standing with the Women in Black was important for me. Standing in silence I noticed the mother and her baby that stood with us, and the child playing behind us. I remembered the picture of a child soldier in Liberia, pink teddy bear backpack on his back, with gun in hand. 300,000 children under 18 years of age serve as soldiers. Every woman standing there had her own unique experience.

"Chippie never knew what hit her. One moment she was perched high, queen of her world, secure and singing her heart out. Then her owner decided it was cage-cleaning day and it would be done quickly with a vacuum cleaner. The phone rang. In the process of turning and answering the phone, there was a "swosh". Chippie had been sucked into the vacuum. Hanging up the phone, the woman quickly tore open the bag and there sat poor Chippie – the faucet was turned on full blast. Chippie’s little body shook with shivers. Then with compassion the owner thought she would dry Chippie quickly. So here came the hair dryer full blast. Chippie never knew what hit her. In less than two minutes, her world had been turned upside down. She had been sucked in, washed up and blown over." Linda Hollies, Jesus and Those Bodacious Women Can you identify with Chippie? You may have had a few Chippie moments, but many people through out this world have many Chippie moments – moments in which the bottom can and does drop out of one’s world, sometimes without notice – moments that are unjust and unfair. Have you learned about some of these people this week?

Has God laid a new call on your life? Do you feel called for such a time as this?

As a person that works with youth, a person with a 20 year old, I listen to some of the music teens listen to so that I might better understand their world. This summer I heard the song "Where Is The Love?" This song makes me think – what example do we set for our youth? Are we sending the message we want to send? Are we showing them love and respect of all God’s creation, of all God’s children? Please listen as some of our youth share "WHERE IS THE LOVE?"

Chippie never knew what hit her. Chippie’s world had been turned upside down. I like to think that Chippie received the best of care and a full recovery – that the right people came into her life and she was transformed. There are many people through out this world who need us to speak up, to take action, to make a stand – Proverbs 31:8-9 tells "Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the right of all the down-and-outers, Speak out for Justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!"

May we realize God’s call for our life? May we be open to new, risk-takings calls? God may be calling you, you, you and me to intervene in the lives of stunned and wounded persons. God may be calling us to take new and more daring stands to demonstrate God’s resurrection power, God’s prevenient grace, God’s love and care available to all God’s children. We need to live the theme of this National Seminar, "If Not Now, When….If Not Me, Who?" And when you hear the Master’s voice asking: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Will you answer I’ll go. Send me!?

Judy Nutter
Vice President of the Women’s Division,
Chairperson of the Section on Christian Social Responsibility
August 7, 2003