My heart is heavy today…so instead of my usual Week in Review, I thought I’d say a few words about the recent events happening…this may be a style blog and while I tend to stay as far away from politics and drama as possible, I can't let another moment go by in silence.
To my African American friends, I stand with you. I hate what has happened to you in the past few months, and it terrifies me that it may have only come to light recently. It is never ok to discriminate. That’s not how Jesus taught us to act.
It makes me so angry that the men who are supposed to protect us have used their fear as an excuse to carelessly end lives. It kills me that my black friends live in fear. I understand that the men and women who serve this country are put into positions everyday that forces them to make difficult decisions and I can’t comprehend what that feels like. But as I watch the horrifying videos of people being executed, I struggle to understand why someone would think that killing someone was the appropriate response.
And today - with everything that happened last night in Dallas - my heart breaks for the families of those killed. Why do we continue this pattern? How can we make it stop? SOMETHING needs to change. We need to change. To be honest, I think it starts with our hearts.
If we find prejudice in our hearts, or if you feel it might be in yours, please, please, take a moment and examine why. Maybe someone of a particular race did something unkind to you at some point in your life. Release it. It's only holding you captive. Forgive that person. And know that not all people of one race are the same. Not all police officers are corrupt, not all black people are guilty, and NO ONE deserves to be executed in the ways we’ve seen over the past few weeks.
When we realize our faults, that’s when we can allow God to change us. I’m a very spiritual person, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m not perfect. I’m praying for our country today and everyday. That God changes our hearts and opens our eyes to the atrocities happening in our backyard. I want to pray and ask Him to make it stop - make the madness end. The thing is - at the beginning of time, he gave us the freedom of choice. And unfortunately, people have taken that and ignored His message of love for ALL people. But I will pray for intervention and that He knocks harder on our hearts. And that we let Him in to change us.