Man To Man Is So Unjust…..

Man to man is so unjust, you don’t know who to trust….  Those were the famous first words in Bob Marley’s “Who the Cap Fits.  Where were you when you first heard the verdict in the Trayvon Martin Case?  I was leaving a celebratory BBQ at a friend’s house– her completing her Masters degree in Public Health.  A wonderful time of joy, fun and laughter celebrating this commendable achievement. Then suddenly the words rang out “George Zimmerman not guilty”!

A feeling of heaviness and sadness came over me. Not so much anger, but sadness and a deep disappointment.  The friend who shared the news said she felt the same.  She was the first I heard echo the sentiment that it seems America is sending the message that the lives of black people have no value. The contrast of the moment was overwhelming.  My friend as a young black woman, already a medical doctor, now with another accolade of Master’s degree in public health. The doors for great potential and endless possibilities of success now wide open for her life.    The life of Trayvon Martin cut suddenly at age 17,  never to realize his full potential on earth.  Never to earn a degree, master a craft, father his own children, travel the world .  Who knows what his journey would have been or where life would have taken him?  Now we will never know.  It hurts people, it hurts.  Even though I don’t know him, we don’t know him…it hurts.

 Why?  Because as a black woman and part of a black heritage, Trayvon represents and could be anybody I love…my brother, son, husband, father, uncle, friend.  I am sure I speak for many when I say that at the back of  my mind is that slight twinge of concern and the burning question:  Are we as black people in America, especially our black men really safe?  It is not something I sit and lose sleep over.  I have faith that the blood of Jesus was not shed in vain.  That Jehovah Saboath (Lord of the living armies) hears my prayers and protects me and my loved ones.  But the human side of me says, who’s to say that could never be me or someone I love. It is not impossible for me to walk out my door and my life cut short because of the melanin in my skin.  As much as we try not to make things about race, the blatant fact is this episode is about race, just like so many things in the United States of America.  Unless you are a black person in America you will never understand what it’s like to be stopped and terrorized on the highway just because of the  color of your skin, to be walking on the street and have a racial slur hurled at you for no apparent reason, to live in a mostly white neighborhood and see your Caucasian neighbor say hello to their white counterparts but ignore you as you offer a greeting. How as black physician in training you have to give 150%–100% is not good enough; the shock and the grimace on a patient’s face that says “the doctor is black” when you enter the exam room  and the bombardment of questions fired at you simply because your clinical judgment is not trusted. The feeling of “she couldn’t possibly know what she is talking about.”  It hurts people, it hurts….. You see it, you feel it and you know it.  But you do your job and you move on.  Over and over again, American society continues to suppress and condemn black people and minorities in general.  But this is beyond race.  I don’t consider myself racist and I could never condemn a whole race of people because of the ignorance of a few.  There is good and bad in all segments of society and evil knows no color, gender or nationality.  But ladies and gentleman we can’t be surprised anymore.  The bible is the infallible truth.  Even God himself said in Genesis that “…the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth…(Genesis 8:21, NKJV) after he destroyed everything on the earth with the exception of Noah, his family and a few selected  animals. So if God, who is the supreme Creator and ruler of the earth, holy, righteous and untainted could become frustrated with the corruption of man’s heart enough to just wipe them out, imagine how we as human beings must feel.  We are in a fallen world and injustice and sin are rampant.  Whether you accept it or not times are dread.  In an earlier post, I wrote about spiritual warfare.  This Trayvon Martin case and the injustices in America are examples of spiritual warfare at it’s height.   As I said before, the bottom line is Satan and his kingdom are constantly trying to oppose anything relating to God and His kingdom.  We are all God’s creation although we are all not God’s children.  So even if you are not a child of God (i.e. someone who has accepted the gift of salvation and made Jesus Lord and Savior of your life), the mere fact that you exist and are a creation of God,  makes you a target of Satan and his antics regardless of whether you are for or against God.   The Enemy continues to use race, social status, religion, nationality, gender and all kinds of labels to bring division and dissension among the people of the world.  Whether it is a Muslim believer being automatically labeled as the Taliban, a gay man being beaten for his sexual orientation, white man being called a cracker or a Hispanic man being profiled because of his culture, discrimination at any level is wrong.  And when we walk in disunity and disharmony, we only end up destroying one another and the Enemy wins.  He has satisfied his agenda.  Yet despite it all we overcome the kingdom of darkness with love.  The love of God does not discriminate and God is not a a respecter of persons.  He loves the murdered and the murderer, the raped and the rapist, the thief and the victim. He doesn’t love their sinful acts, but he loves the person.  Make no mistake–it is hard or unnatural to love like this.  Quite frankly, some people make it hard to love them.  Yet we can do it with the help and grace of our supernatural God. When you allow God to fill you with His love, you will love others like God loves…even the unloveable. 

Furthermore, we are called to be the light in the dark places and to reflect God’s glory.  Even in the stench of sin, evil and wickedness, we are to shine our light and reflect the goodness of God. 

In situations like this Travyon Martin case, it is so natural to ask why?  Why Lord did you let Zimmerman get away?  Why wasn’t justice served?  I hear the Lord saying “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay….”(Romans 12:19, NKJV).  It feels natural to want to fight and  make this wrong right. To act out in rage. I don’t believe we are suppose to just sit back and not rally for justice.  It’s ok to protest peacefully, to make our voices heard and to bring about change in flaws in our justice system.  But in the end we leave it in God’s hands. We serve a sovereign God who sits on the throne; whose power is limitless; nothing escapes him–not even the Travyon Martin trial;  If you think within the limits of this life, it seems that the evil and wicked, especially in this case are literally  getting  away with murder. But in the span of eternity, judgment will come at some point and all scales will be balanced.   Do we trust God enough to know we don’t have to make things even?  That God will vindicate if not now, then  in the realm of eternity and that His righteous judgment will prevail and His will has to be done?

 Lastly, the Lord as a way of making all things work together for the good. God is not a God of waste.  He takes even the biggest mess and recycles it into something meaningful.  Even in Trayvon’s death there is a purpose.  Just like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, sometimes one must be crucified to save many.  We don’t know what the full impact of this murder trial will bring. But already it has caused people from all walks of life around the world to unify in the name of justice, it could perpetually bring about reform in self-defense and gun laws and you never know how God could change Zimmerman’s heart for the better. For me it really highlights how much I really need to draw near to, rest in and trust God because truly we are prey to the wolves without His love and protection.  

 So let us lift up Travyon, Zimmerman and all involved in prayer and let God’s glory be seen even in this.  God is saying can you stand on your faith and still walk in love as a true disciple of Christ in the face of injustice.  Yes–stand up and protest in  righteous indignation, but walk in love and  don’t stoop down to worldly ignorance….and yet still I rise….

 With peace and blessings may you continue to rise always,

stillirise323