WHAT VIOLENCE WON'T DO! - A Remedy for Injustice

George Floyd, Ahmad Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, The Emmanuel 9, Trayvon Martin....What emotions do these names evoke in you? 

Forgiveness probably isn't one of them!

America is angry! Angry because they are hurt, frustrated, and we're showing it in a myriad of ways! Some with peaceful demonstrations and others with burning, looting, and hate speech spewing throughout every social media outlet available.

This anger is very familiar to me.  I was a teen in the Sixties and remember vividly the deaths of Martin Luther King and Malcom X and the violence that ensued.  I recall with clarity the Watts and Detroit riots that turned urban areas into visions from hell and the aftermath like scenes from The Book of Eli!  My memory is acute and intact so... WHY DO I NEED RERUNS NOW!!!

HAS HISTORY TAUGHT US NOTHING?

I know you don't want to hear this because the ANGER is so fresh! But the only remedy for injustice is FORGIVENESS!  Yes, I said it!  There are OTHER ways to appease your anger!  And FORGIVENESS is one of them! (Ephesians 4:26)

Civil Resistance WILL work!  Redistribution of power (once identified) is a formidable force against majority ruled racist institutions! Forgiveness is STILL an effective strategy if seen in the right perspective. The BIBLICAL perspective. 

FORGIVENESS IS NOT:  Condoning or excusing injustice!  It is not ignoring or pretending an offense didn't happen!  It is not sitting around doing nothing and playing the victim! It is very vocal.  It is collaborating and unifying in thoughtful and skillful ways giving attention to problems that go beyond the 15 minutes of notoriety viewed on CNN or MSNBC.

What the Eyes Can't Deny!

FORGIVENESS IS:  Exposing evil where it can be seen in the brilliant light of truth.  Where it can no longer hide behind unjust laws or public policy! (John 1:5)  There is a reason that pictures of dogs and fire hydrants turned on peaceful protestors in the south shocked and shamed America into turning Jim Crow laws into the desegregation laws of the 1960s.   And why rioting neighborhoods in D.C., Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Watts left behind more squalor, violence, unemployment, and drugs than before. Some have never really recovered!

FORGIVENESS IS: Exchanging the POWER given to the Enemy keeping you in poverty, and ignorance for EMPOWERMENT!  Impulsive and emotionally charged behavior like looting exploits already fragile neighborhoods. Exercising the power of the DOLLAR and the VOTE builds and strengthens them.

HERE'S WHY FORGIVENESS IS A BIG DEAL IN BOTH THE POLITICAL AND PERSONAL REALMS OF YOUR LIFE!   

• It's a Command NOT a Suggestion- (Matthew 18:21-35; Ephesians 4:31-32; Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:25): John 14:15) When Jesus told Peter in Matthew 18 to forgive not seven times but 70 times 7 He was saying that we can't put limitations on forgiving!  We just have to do it!

• It's A Choice You Make Not a Feeling You Get!  Jesus does not tell His followers to do anything that He does not empower them to do! In fact forgiveness is impossible without this enablement.  (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8), John 15:5)

• It Begins in the Heart! You have to want to forgive your offender! Do you trust God to execute justice on your behalf? Is feeding your pride, vengeance, and bitterness more important than receiving forgiveness for your own sins.  The ones you have committed toward others? (Matthew 6:14-16; Matthew 18:33-35) 

• It's Okay to Set Boundaries!  Boundaries are for your protection and may be readjusted as trust is restored.  But barriers/walls are built with no intent of going over or allowing the offender to breach.  The offense is rehearsed over and over, no grace enters the situation and the root of bitterness sets in.  YOU then become the very thing you detest--a hypocrite!  (Matthew 7:5)

• Pardon Until You Can Forgive! Pardon assumes the offender is guilty.  It doesn't wipe it out but may help you move toward the state of forgiveness.   A pardon give YOU time to pray and humble yourself before the Lord.  But the goal is always FORGIVENESS! If allowed to linger too long it becomes a spiritual stronghold that must be torn down. You become a pawn of Satan until this is accomplished (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

HOW DO I KNOW I HAVE GENUINELY FORGIVEN?

1.  When you heart catches up with your mouth! You sincerely wish your offender well.  You have no desire for their harm or you're no longer jealous of their blessings.

2. You have compassion for their weaknesses!  You do not let past offenses keep you from being charitable toward them (giving them the same consideration you'd give to someone who hadn't offended you).

3. You don't react in the flesh when you see them. (Romans 8:8-9). Peace overrides your emotions when painful thoughts or memories are triggered (Hebrews 12:14-15).

4.  When you stop telling others about the offense and stop trying to make your offender look bad!

AT SOME POINT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHOOSE TO FORGIVE  GEORGE FLOYD AND AHMAD AUBREY'S MURDERERS!  BUT REMEMBER IT WON'T BE TOO LONG BEFORE GOD WILL  HAVE TO CHOOSE TO FORGIVE YOU TOO!!!!

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

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