World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. A day to remember those who've lost the battle with HIV/AIDS. A day to celebrate the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS. A day to recommit ourselves to supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS.

To commemorate the day, I stood proud with a group of community members in making a human, red Ribbon of Life. I stood side by side with a friend, an HIV health educator, and the mayor of our city. I stood side by side with people who support HIV prevention, education, and assistance in our community. I stood side by side with people who understand the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic. I also organized a program to educate my college students on how the treatment of HIV has changed over the years. We heard from a positive voice as well as a member of the medical community. Their message: HIV changes your life, and not for the better. You can live with HIV. You can live a long time with HIV thanks to advances in medical care. But it's not an easy life. It's a life filled with struggles, stigmas, discrimination, and questions. And if each of us would do our part, people living with HIV wouldn't have to experience these things!

A friend of mine who works as an HIV Prevention specialist said today that HIV/AIDS is not just a medical issue. It's a human rights issue. While we may look at the disease from a clean, western perspective, not everyone around the world has all of the resources we have. Everyone deserves access to prevention that works and treatment that works. Not everyone has that. I was overjoyed to see that the new president of South Africa announced today that all South African children with HIV will now be treated with ARV medicines. This is a tremendous change from the previous administrator who refused to believe the scientific facts about the disease, therefore putting the health of millions of people at risk.

But HIV/AIDS is not just a human rights issue. It's a spiritual issue. I dare say that most Christians, even active evangelicals, let this day pass without a thought of HIV/AIDS. I fear that many people choose the attitude that HIV/AIDS is a result of sin so why should the people of God support that? The simple reason: because Jesus loves HIV+ people. Jesus commanded us to love all people. He commanded us to care for the widows and orphans. 6000 children around the world lose one or both parents everyday because of HIV/AIDS. Women get the disease from their husbands who have multiple partners, a practice that is accepted in some areas of the world. They pass the disease to their children. In places like Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, India, South Africa, Haiti, treatment is not readily available or affordable. Luxuries like clean water and nutritional meals throughout the day to be able to handle the medicine are not available. We are called by our Savior to care for the dying, crying, the broken. We are called by our Savior to love our neighbors as ourselves. Though they may live halfway around the world, they are our neighbors. Many are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Did they get infected because of a sinful act? Maybe. But the last time I checked, there were no sinless people on this earth.

More than 2 million AIDS related deaths were reported globally in 2008. This disease is completely preventable! We must educate ourselves, our friends, our families, our coworkers. We must make wise decisions with our bodies. We must respond to this crisis as Christ would. Are you holding the stone or are you drawing in the sand? Are you willing to ask the tough questions? Are you willing to answer the tough questions? Are you willing to make the tough choices.

Life will go on after today. It doesn't have to go on with HIV, though!