Today I will write for just me. My sense is we often tend to write and speak for others, telling them where they need to change. I understand. It\u2019s easier. It\u2019s also less effective. The most effective maturing comes not from the demanding of another, but rather, from a sober look at self.
\n
\nWhen I witness the loss of life, I grieve. I lament the death of George Floyd. I lament the death of those who\u2019ve gone before him. I lament injustice and the death of the innocent. I am dismayed by the riots and resulting unrest. I find myself humbly but deeply craving what our country most needs now. I find myself first wrestling with three sincere questions\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One… Who Matters?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Life means existence…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sincerely seeking to understand \u2014 no judgment \u2014 what existence have I justified as being lesser?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Two… Is It OK to Be Silent?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our silence has the potential to perpetuate the acceptance of evil, unethical, or abusive behavior…<\/p>\n\n\n\n What evil or unethical behavior am I accepting?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why am I selectively silent?<\/em> And Three… What Am I Omitting in My Outrage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How can my outrage be used for good?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And is it ok for another\u2019s outrage to be different than mine?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n …<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wonder\u2026 if each human existence is created in the image of God, how can I treat anyone<\/em> as lesser? How can I not believe in their equal value and worth? Am I too blind to see how God feels about each of us?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m sobered\u2026 pained by what\u2019s happening across the country \u2014 the hurt in the hearts of persons of color, the division that far too many on all sides brazenly continue to sow. I thus settle in a singular place, crying out to God as to what our country most needs now. I settle here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf my people\u2026 respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I\u2019ll be there ready for you: I\u2019ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health\u2026\u201d<\/em> What does God say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If<\/em><\/strong> I\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n God will listen. He\u2019ll forgive. And he will heal our land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I observe varied perspective from places seemingly big and small \u2014 from the tears in my friends\u2019 eyes to the destruction on the streets of Minneapolis and in the shouts on social media \u2014 I\u2019m convinced of one truth most of all\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are a land in need of healing. That\u2019s what we most need now. Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today I will write for just me. My sense is we often tend to write and speak for others, telling them where they need to change. I understand. It\u2019s easier. It\u2019s also less effective. The most effective maturing comes not from the demanding of another, but rather, from a sober look at self. When I … <\/p>\n
Do I ever choose the lesser of two evils, ignoring that such by definition, is still evil?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\nThe challenge of race relations isn\u2019t something that I can simply be silent about nor shout about at others; neither effectively changes the individual human heart. The only way I know to make lasting, permanent change is to submit to something bigger than me. God is god and I am not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n