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Monday, April 27, 2015
Human lives matter
Race is a particularly difficult subject to write about, especially when you truly believe 1 Samuel 17:7, “for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” It seems that there should be no races because we are all part of the human race. Simply put, the Golden Rule should apply when dealing with anyone–we should treat others as we would want to be treated. There is not much wiggle room in the word of God, yet I have walked across the threshold of a church built at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana, West Africa where parishioners could see the slaves in a dungeon below and would remark that they were in hell while the church was heaven.
Christianity should not be a victim of the race issue, but rather a leader in bringing the light of Christ and the love for one another into focus. But it seems the more people try to fix the racial divide, the deeper and wider it becomes. Whites, for example, cannot understand why Blacks react certain ways. Blacks cannot understand why Whites don’t understand. And the circle continues. There is enough blame to go around on both sides. But until honest and respectful dialogue can occur, there is little hope that anything can be solved. We owe it to ourselves and to our Lord to treat one another with respect, integrity and honor. That is a start.
Martin Luther King, Jr. applied four steps to addressing racial injustice: “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action.” It seems the White House has fallen short on all of these steps when addressing or commenting on race relations. The facts in several cases were not determined before reactions were made, statements issued and blame assessed. This contributes to continued distrust and resentment. It also gives ground to outside anarchist and socialist groups who try to hijack civil rights as an excuse to protest and cause disruption. Moreover, urban legend like “hands up, don’t shoot” institutionalizes, even though it was never said.
In short, Black lives DO matter. So do White lives. Human lives matter. When there is injustice, it impacts all of us. Divisions widen and deepen. Injustice is not corrected by turning a blind eye to vigilante revenge. Our society needs to come to grips with the mistrust, bias, and perceptions that serve as barriers to love, truth, honor and justice. We can’t rely on government to force-solve these issues. It won’t happen. This takes heart to heart combat–relationship building. It takes learning from the past, then putting it aside to build a better future. It might start with a simple smile, or an acknowledgement. Proverbs 31:9 says, “open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Sounds simple, but seeing the condition of society, it must be pretty difficult to do.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
For God’s Glory Alone Ministries thanks Bill Wilson and www.dailyjot.com
