My heart is breaking right now, as my country is currently being tossed around by waves of confusion and chaos. We are not being bombed by a terrorist organization or panicking over the risk of a violent neighboring country. For this I am extremely thankful. America is facing an entirely different threat. We as a nation have forgotten to be human, to have compassion, to have a righteous sense of justice. We have begun to think it is ok to argue whether the police or the criminal were truly the one at fault instead of searching deep within ourselves and our culture to find the true underlying problem. This past semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit in a sociology class made up of students from all different races, ethnicity, backgrounds, and religions. Every week, I was able to learn about the different subcultures which make up the beautiful United States of America. Not all stories were good, but not all were bad. I was able to gain a perspective that I had never had before. I heard stories of perfectly respectable women being searched by police simply on the premise of their race. I also heard stories of police helping these women out of dangerous situations. I heard stories of men being arrested simply on the premise of their race. I also heard stories in which men defended the police because they knew that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. With that, I want to challenge the core argument in society today. America is not just dealing with racism. America is not just dealing with incidents of murderous corruption within its police force. We as a nation have wandered so far away from the core values of compassion and righteous justice that we continue to circle back to the issues of old. We think that justice is locking up the bad guy, giving people what they demand, and violently protesting when we don’t get what we want. Justice is defending the weak. Justice is the protection of those who cannot protect themselves. Justice is the legal punishment of those who have committed crimes. Justice is not a matter of punishing one side over your personal opinions of who-shot-who. And compassion? Compassion is the beautiful moment when the subjects of race are set aside so that a community can rally together to help one another. Compassion is serving others and looking past their inherent flaws. Compassion is not a matter of protesting for your "side" and only supporting those who fully agree with you. As a nation, we have become so obsessed with division, with differences, with destructive behaviors. We spend our time filling our minds with shows, stories, and songs about break ups, family problems, and addictions. We have get a sickening high off of every tragic event to happen in this nation. Our culture is addicted to conflict. We always have to have sides on an issue. We always require some sort of argument. We do not accept true justice when it is served. Instead we turn it into some form of a rally and bring in the issues of race, sex, and income. We do not accept compassion because we have labeled it as sympathy, something that we as prideful beings refuse to receive. My heart is broken. My heart is broken for the families of the victims. Whether or not those who are shot are guilty of a crime, their families have lost a loved one. My heart breaks for them as they try to mourn, but are bombarded by the media and "political activists." I wish they could have their privacy and could mourn their loved ones, without having to worry about being spat upon. My heart is broken for the families of cops. I cannot imagine the fear that those spouses and children have sending their family member out into this chaotic world. Their job was dangerous before, but now they are once again being punished by society for the sins of a few. My heart is broken for the victims. For those who were guilty, I am so deeply discouraged that they went down the path they did. I wonder what could have been done to keep them on the right track. I wish that they had made better decisions. My heart breaks that they never gave themselves the chance to live the life that they could have. I'm sure that they were truly talented and incredible individuals. For those who were innocent, I am completely devastated. I wish that this had never happened. I wonder what they were going to do with the rest of their day, with the rest of their life. I hope that they left a honorable legacy for their family. I hope that they had lived every day with purpose. My heart is broken for the corrupted. I am disturbed that any human being would be filled with so much hate that they would take the life of another human being. I cannot imagine living that life. They must be miserable. What evil was done to them that they would feel the need to commit such a wretched deed? I pray that they turn from their sin. I also pray that they will be punished fairly. White or black. Race should not count when it comes to justice... I hate that anyone thinks that they can get away with a horrible crime simply because of their race. I wish these men and women did not live in hatred. (When I say the corrupted, I am referring to the corrupted cops as well as the men and women who taken it upon themselves to self-righteously kill cops in the name of equality for their race.) My heart is broken for our nation.
I pray that it returns to the One who created race. I pray it returns to the One who loves the corrupt and the peaceful. I pray it returns to the One who is compassion and the only righteous judge. I pray it returns to the One who knows the hearts of every person involved. So as these horrible events continue to be discussed and argued, take a step back. Think. Do not let anger be what directs your actions. Be compassionate to the hurting. Seek justice for those who have done wrong and those who have been wronged. Do not seek to further your own political agenda. Now is not a time for that. There are many in mourning, many in fear. Be there for them. Encourage them. As America brokenly seeks to figure out what it is doing wrong, pray for clarity. Be a light in this darkness. Have compassion. Pray for justice.
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AuthorI'm a college student with a passion to empower women, spread the love of Christ, and speak truth into the darkness. I also really like cats and Taylor Swift. Archives
October 2018
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