There has been a lot in the news lately about the Zimmerman trial. I haven't followed every detail of this controversial trial, but one thing is absolutely clear to me through the latest news reports: we have too much violence in this world! Unfortunately, many are responding to violence with violence. Regardless of the reason for the shooting, a very tragic thing happened: someone got killed. It makes me so sad to hear this. So how should a Christian respond to this? Form a riot?
Ephesians 4:26: "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Is it OK to be angry? Absolutely! There are definitely things that can and should make us angry, regardless of which side of an issue you are on. What does it mean to not let the sun go down upon your wrath? Some believe that you should deal with it before the next sunrise. But that is not always possible. A principle is there, however, to not allow your anger to go on for too long, or else it turns into sin as you dwell on it, become bitter, which can lead to resentment and hate, which will eventually lead to murder. I believe that unchecked anger can ruin your life, and possibly the lives of those around you; not just those you are angry with, but those you love and cherish, those you hold close to your heart. They hurt when you allow anger to rule over your spirit. Violence is often the result, and does that truly fix the problem, or just add injury to an already hostile matter?
I heard a devotion today on the radio that talked about nagging, and how you accomplish the task with nagging by constantly wearing down the person until you get your way, but at what cost to the relationship itself? You might feel you have reason to be angry, that you are justified in your feelings, and likely you are, but at what cost are you willing to vent those feelings? Can you talk them out? Can you beat on a pillow instead of yourself or another being? I've noticed that people either cry or get angry when they're hurt. It's therapeutic to let those feelings out rather than binding them up, but just do so in such a way that no one gets hurt. I play the piano, and I love to bang out a strong song on the piano when I'm feeling emotional. Some people have written the best songs or painted the best pictures or written the best poems when their emotions are high. Some clean their house to let out their frustrations. Talk about positive channels to release that energy! It's not wrong to have strong feelings, especially when you feel you are protecting someone who is innocent. Changing laws or making an awareness of inequality, such as with persecution of Christians in China, or a broken legal system, or mixed up immigration laws, or unsafe practices - these things need constructive ideas to make the world a better place.
My challenge to you is to first of all pray to God and tell Him every last detail of how you feel. He can handle it! Cry, get angry, tell Him your whole heart. Allow Him to grieve with you. He loves you, and cares about all those feelings that you have today. Don't look to God as the enemy. He has a permissive will, and a perfect will. He allows things to happen due to man's free will, natural consequences of our actions, and the result of sin. Sometimes He will intervene with a miracle, but usually He works through people. Yes, people like you and me. That's how He rolls. Respect it, and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. There will always be something to learn from our circumstances, and don't forget that while you cannot always control all of your circumstances, or the people around you, you can control YOUR RESPONSE to it. After you have prayed your heart out to God, humbly ask Him to cleanse your heart from any sin that you have allowed to creep in, make you white as snow, and comfort you with His love and understanding. Then ask Him to reveal to you how you can make a difference in your world for good, for God's honor and glory. If you pray that with a clean heart and a humble spirit, God will use you in great and mighty ways!
Jeremiah 33:3: "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Praise the Lord!
So what should the outcome of Zimmerman's trial really be? Forgiveness? Change in the system? Love to all mankind? More respect for authority? Greater reason to trust as we do our part to make the world a better place? YOU decide!
White people have no understanding of the simmering anger that comes from personal experiences of being treated like a second class citizen all their life.
ReplyDeleteThe Zimmerman case is just one more example. How can you tell a group of people who experience daily abuse, prejudice and hate just to grin and bare it? Everyone has a breaking point.
I understand that there are many groups of people and individuals who are treated unfairly all the time. Injustices and hate surround us. My point is that there is healing when we can respond in productive ways rather than with violence. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a great example of this. He found a productive, peaceful way to deal with the injustices that were being done. In the end, it cost him his life, because people responded to his actions with violence. That causes more injury, more pain, without a real solution. It takes everyone doing their part to make a better world. Showing more hate and more violence as a response to violence is not going to make the world a safer place for anyone. While there are many things out of our control, there are some things we can do to change things for the better, using our creativity, and we can control our response to it in a way that is healing and not more destructive.
DeleteWhen the systems fail to protect then its time to take other action. Martin Luther King Jr understood this. He didn't just sit around a pray. He took action.
DeleteThere are proper channels and processes for doing making positive change. Abraham Lincoln took a stand against slavery, and there were people who responded in violence and assassinated him. That is not the answer - anarchy and riots and uncontrolled anger does not bring about positive change, only more tragedy. Whether Zimmerman was innocent or guilty isn't the issue. There are people grieving across the nation for this boy's life, including me. I can't even imagine the grief his family is going through right now. It is natural to feel angry, and anger in itself is not wrong. That is part of the grieving process for many. Taking positive action against wrongdoing is what every good American citizen should do. However, there are good ways and bad ways in which we can respond to anger and grief and injustices. My challenge is to make positive come out of tragedy, and it is in each person's power to do so.
DeleteWriting my book, I Will Stand, and even writing this blog, and writing my next book, Christmas Love, are examples of a positive way to make change, and help build the character of people across America. Building each other up, encouraging each other, grieving with each other, working together to make stronger families and communities and supporting good organizations that are doing something positive in the community are tangible, positive ways we can make planet earth a better place to live.
Jesus would oppose "stand your ground laws" and the NRA.
DeleteYou really don't know what Jesus would oppose or not oppose unless you know Him. This is what we can know about Jesus: He said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He is truth. He is life. He is the way to the Father. I admire Zimmerman that he chose to protect life when he had the opportunity, in helping those 4 people. I am sure that he too mourns the death of Trayvon, just as I am sure Jesus does.
DeleteThe point of this is not to debate politics, but for all of us to remember that no matter where we are, which country we live in, what our political situation, anger and sadness is to be expected when a tragedy occurs, but reacting with more violence and killing and threatening does not help the situation. If we believe an injustice has taken place, why not pray about it, bring it to the Lord Jesus and tell Him all about our feelings of sorrow, anger, loneliness, regret, and despair. "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7. He has broad shoulders; bring all your burdens to Him and lay them at His feet. You'll be amazed at the peace that will follow. Then your mind will clear to think creatively on how perhaps another tragedy can be prevented in the future. That's a lot more constructive!
I know Jesus wouldn't stalk someone based on race and provoke him into a fight and then pull a gun and kill him when the fight didn't go his way.
DeleteBoston Tea Pary, Stonewall, Selma - when injustices occur people react, they just don't bend over and take it.
ReplyDeleteProductive responses that help and not hurt are great! The beauty of America is that we have a voice. We have a democracy! We should use it! We have every right to stand up to injustices, and we should! There is a right and proper way to do these things, decently and in order, and my point is that starting a riot, driving chaos, trying to murder someone in response to anger over a verdict will not build trust.
Delete