ᐃᓄᐃᑦ - inuit

The Globe and Mail ran an article about Nunavut earlier this month. It’s called The trials of Nunavut: Lament for an Arctic nation written by Patrick White. This article has garnered a large amount of criticism and compliments as it examined the current state of this territory. The good. The bad. The ugly.

I find Patrick White’s comparison of Nunavut to Haiti very poignant. The word “Haiti” brings to mind pictures from the earthquake; wounded adults bleeding in the streets, crying orphans with empty bottles, starving men rushing the food aid trucks. Nunavut is not suffering from a literal earthquake that shakes the ground and knocks down buildings. It suffers from a force much more dangerous.

Self destruction.

The history and culture of the Inuit is a beautiful and unique heritage that reflects the ingenuity, hard work, creativity and determination of a people who survived for decades in a frozen land. The arrival of explorers, traders, whalers, priests and nuns to the land in the late 1890s, early 1900s and beyond eventually led to a transition from the time-honoured nomadic life to a forced European ‘education.’ The children were taken away to residential schools. Here, they were forbidden from speaking their native tongue, told their heritage was uncivilized and banned from seeing their parents for months on end. Abuses of every nature were imposed on these youngsters. The Inuit are starting to share about these experiences with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, in recent years, in an effort to bring a process of reconciliation and renewed relationships that are based on mutual understanding and respect.

The abuses, separation and isolation that these children endured have affected the generations that followed, and the cycle continues today. The self destruction as a result of these issues is evidenced by the substance abuse, violent domestic life, truancy, sexual abuse, alcoholism, poverty and suicide rates that exist today. Before coming to Iqaluit, I was told that I shouldn’t walk around the town alone because its residents are dangerous. I have not found that to be the case and have experienced no danger. And this is why; the danger lies within the hearts of each person affected by this tragic past. As a result, the hurt and anger leads to self-imposed destruction in an effort to dampen the pain in the only way they know how.

On this Easter weekend, Chris Tomlin’s song “God of this City” has been running through my mind over and over as a prayer for Nunavut. The cross that overlooks Iqaluit is a reminder to me that Jesus is the Light in the darkness, the Hope to the hopeless and the Peace to the restless. Even here, where light, hope and peace seem like things the government tries to achieve by pouring millions of dollars into committees, expert studies and reconciliation commissions. Their intentions are good, but they are missing the truth of Jesus’ salvation and healing that is so necessary to bring true, complete healing to these people. 

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.  

John 3:16-18

Christ didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Romans 5:6-8

Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between him and me!" Romans 10:10

So, to all our friends and family; may you experience the love and grace of Jesus in your own life this Easter season, as you reflect on the true meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection.