The Other Side

            Many people in Matamoros refer to the United States as “The Other Side” (El Otro Lado).   I can’t stand it!  I remember hearing that for the first time, just thinking it was this particular person’s way of phrasing things.  Later I realized that this is the common way to refer to the U.S.  It makes me sad that America is talked about with a sense of mystery, like it is some sort of Promised Land.  It’s strange because I can come and go as I please, but these people live so close to the border yet cannot cross to “The Other Side”.  The reason the terminology bothers me so much is because it sounds so segregated.  It’s literally a fence that can be walked up to, but for some, never crossed.  My heart hurts for the people who long so badly to get to “The Other Side”.  They just want to see what it’s like and to experience life on the other side of the fence.  I wish I could explain that it’s not that great and it’s not worth the trouble.  However, I know from experience that life is different on either side of the fence.  I literally live just inside the border of Mexico and it’s a different world.  I could go to college 100 yards into the United States and the opportunities and lifestyles are totally different.  This concept blows my mind.  From the short amount of time that I’ve lived in Mexico, I am beginning to understand why so many people want to come to the States.  Healthcare is better.  Employment opportunities are better, and so are the wages.  The United States isn’t the Promised Land, though, and I wouldn’t be so ignorant or arrogant to assume that everybody in Mexico is just dying to come to America.  Yes, many people want to, and understandably so.  But I’ve met many folks who are completely content with where they are.  People in Mexico aren’t unhappy or discontent with their lives.  Materially speaking, we – I – have so much more.  Yet their joy is unrivaled.  I’ve never met so many fulfilled, satisfied people as I’ve met in Matamoros.  Maybe Mexico didn’t get the short end of the stick.  Maybe Matamoros isn’t on the wrong side of the fence. 

                I don’t really know…these are just my thoughts.  I wonder what Jesus would say about the border.  What would He say about the fence?  I’m not trying to prove that Jesus was a democrat or a republican.  I’m not saying Jesus supports immigration or that He doesn’t.  I’m not suggesting that He was liberal or conservative.  I just want to provoke raw, honest thought for myself and for anyone else who chooses to think with me.  Is it really fair that a fence makes such a difference in lifestyles?  So, because I was born on the “right” side of the fence, I’m entitled to so much more?  Some would argue that life in Mexico isn’t so bad.  They’re right.  It’s not for some (however for others it is a place of hurt and pain; a place without hope and without opportunity).  Honestly, I enjoy it.  But I wonder what it would be like if I couldn’t ever cross back over into the United States.  I wonder how I would feel if I lived fifteen minutes away from the border my whole life, but never was able to cross over and see for myself what “The Other Side” looks like.  Personally, I would feel trapped.  I can’t speak for Mexicans; I can only imagine and try to put myself in another position.  The border issue never ceases to amaze me.  How did a fence get so much power?  Why can I go from one side to the other and feel like I’ve traveled to another world?  Why does one side have so much and the other side have so little, at least externally speaking? 

                Mexico and the Mexican people have a huge and special place in my heart.  I love the culture, the language, the atmosphere, and the authenticity.  Current events and politics have sparked these thoughts, and it has been good and healthy for me to process them.  I don’t know much about the government – ours or theirs.  I don’t know much about economics and I don’t know all there is to know about the debate over immigration.  All I know is that I love Mexico and I love the United States.  I look forward to the day when we will all stand (or maybe fall on our faces) before the throne of the Living God and worship Him together without any fences or borders.  There will be no distinctions or controversies.  There will only be praises lifted up to the One who is worthy.  Standing before Him we will not be divided or separated.  There won’t be segregation or racism.  All of the issues of the world will have passed away, and we will be truly free to worship together as brothers and sisters – children of the King.