To my white community who is unsure what to think or do today:
Don't forget the message of Jesus' life and ministry: Love doesn’t wait.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free." Luke 4:18
Love doesn't pick George Floyd or the cop. Love chooses both, but the cancer of racism and its inability to see people as people left one man dead this week.
We are well past the thought, "Let's wait to see the whole story", although I've heard it since George died. The whole story is this; racism is alive and well, and whether you believe this was racially motivated or not, a black man died under the weight of a white man, a cop who used his position to do the unthinkable.
Love can't wait until we’ve heard all sides of a story. I think we all need to remember that Jesus didn't wait to hear all sides of your story. He went to the cross KNOWING the details of your life, not waiting for them.
And Jesus didn’t wait to show love or empathy to anyone, whether it was a criminal on the cross next to Him or a prostitute. Jesus stepped in, no matter the person. No matter their history. And if anyone was oppressed in any way, Jesus ignored the crowds for them. Jesus did not allow religious or civil law to keep him from loving. He did not allow religious or political opinion to restrain him from loving and serving the oppressed, broken and marginalized. Can we say the same?
Where is love?
Love doesn’t pick a side, love extends in both direction. Christ's blood was shed for the oppressor and the oppressed. Yet, time and time again Jesus expected us, His followers, to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. This isn't just us as His children but anyone who doesn't have voice in our social-economic climate or the current political climate to care for the helpless and stand for justice for all.
"Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17
So I challenge you to wrestle with this more than you ever have before. Someone close to me said this, “love for the police officer shouldn’t rob us of love for the victim, and love for the victim shouldn’t rob us of love for the police officer.”
Love naturally illuminates the injustice here. Love can't help but change us and change our hearts if we choose it. Love doesn't allow racism to exist and love doesn't elevate truth over people. Ever. Truth never trumps love nor is it the litmus test for love. They should co-exist in beautiful harmony.
What do we do right now?
We choose truth IN love, never truth OVER love. We choose people, especially those who have lived with the ugliness of oppression, over the details. We love the human being without reserve or hesitation. We mourn with a family who has lost their loved one. We see injustice for what it is; failure to love.
We don’t wait to love, to speak up, and to reach out to our hurting brothers and sisters.
We choose to see people as people, every single time. And as we see them, we fight for them; for their well-being, for their dignity, for all that God made them to be because we are all one. Incase anyone has forgotten; the cross leveled out the playing field a long time ago.
We acknowledge the prejudice that does exist and the injustice that is very much alive and well. We acknowledge the pain of others that we don't see because of our privilege. We apologize, and we do the heart work to eliminate any hint of prejudice that still exists.
We see death and mourn it right now, without any more facts. This is the fact: A black man, George Floyd, died unjustly while being detained by a white cop. That should do more than just bother us, it should light the fire within us for change if one doesn't yet exist. It should cause us to weep, not wonder.
God's mercy is new today. Let's use it to love deeper than we ever have. Let's not wait one more moment. Because love doesn't wait.
With Love,
Em
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