Friday, September 30, 2016
Be still in
the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or
fret about their wicked schemes. Stop
being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to
harm. For the wicked will be
destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Psalm 37:7-9(NLT)
Recent and
increasing outbreaks of violent confrontations that end in death for black
persons are more than a cell phone video phenomenon. It is a sign of just how grossly-divided Cain
and Abel can get.
Our culture may
congratulate itself on granting “rights” to everyone, because we are the land
of the free; but if that is so, why the rage? Why is it that the African-American community
feels so disenfranchised and powerless…so much so that the push-back turns
deadly?
I wish I
knew. And I wish I had a pill for fixing
that would actually work.
I’m white
because that is how I was born, and I grew up in the lower middle class. I’m not a political-science guru, but I watch
what happens; I listen and think, long before I get involved. So, I’m an introverted observer who cares that
all people be treated fairly, and do have not a clue as to how to make that
happen.
But, because I
don’t want to be complicit in the perpetuation of racism, for me the idea of saying
nothing is hardly an option.
The key is to
not say too little or too much, neither too softly nor too loudly; many a
well-intentioned word, because of anger or impatience, has turned evil because
it was not carefully spoken as the truth in love[ii]. As the Psalmist cautions we must stop our
anger and turn from our rage, even in the midst of racial outrageousness we
witness on the evening news.
Outrage and
anger speak from both sides of the firing line.
Black Lives Matter has a strong case against unwarranted
brutal treatment at the hands of those charged with the responsibility of
protecting people and their rights. Blue
Lives Matter correctly defends the innocence of officers acting appropriately
in bad situations. Some, on both sides,
have touched-off more violence with hasty intemperate words.
It is a
flaming mess!
God’s Word cautions
us not to take vengeance. [iii]
That is God’s purview, and we are not
good at it. The Psalmist tells us to
trust God to do whatever “punishing” needs doing.
But that
still doesn’t speak to what we must do in speaking against the evil of racism which
threatens to destroy both those who are targets of racial bias, and those who
unwisely give racism an undeserved validity with their rage and violent
pushback.
Dr. Martin
Luther King was a pacifist without question.
If there was to be a protest marking the unfair treatment of people, he
was ready to do so without the kind of rage we see boiling-over in our streets
today.
Of course Dr.
King was human with all the potential for error and sin that each of us
possesses – but I believe he got this right.
We cannot let rage and anger destroy us…and that’s what it will do if we
don’t dial it back!
For You Today
Take time to get to know someone with whom you
disagree; you might find more common ground than you ever imagined!
Go to VIDEO
NOTES
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