Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Hebrews 12:12-15
This has been a tragic 4th of July week. Our country, my country and yours appears to be in broken turmoil. Split into divides and sanctions with bitterness and hate rising. The hatred, bitterness and divide have been rising over the last 8 to 10 years culminating in all the tragedies of this week. We saw a taste of our officers at their worst. A result of fear for their own life or rage? I haven’t seen all the pieces or facts, so I certainly do not know. Can we judge their heart, their motive from a video? Then we see the police at their finest as we watch them be slaughtered. I watched as the police were placing themselves in harm’s way to protect the protestors in Dallas. Those who were calling them names were ushered to safety by the very officers who walked into the line of the bullets. Other officers again placing themselves directly in the line of fire to rescue one of their own and then to apprehend the suspects.
We watch snippets from videos and believe that we know the story when all too often we only know what the sensationalists want us to know. I cannot pretend to say I know for certain the right or the wrong of each incident; yet, I am certain I cannot judge the heart of someone else. I can start by examining my own heart. Last night, I could not sleep. I was watching the calm protests and saw the unfolding of the Dallas tragedies when they first occurred. Flipping between channels as I had been doing for the previous hour; trying to reconcile the differences in the “truth” presented, I could not help but notice that some lagged way behind in presenting the news about Dallas while continuing a rant against “all police.” Did their rhetoric escalade and open the door for such a planned attack? Probably not in one day; but, does our need for 24-hour a day sensationalism add to the divide already present within our hearts?
Continue reading “Can One Broken, Contrite, Praying Heart Make a Difference?”