I’m glad our constitution guarantees to each of us our freedom of speech.  That guarantee is stated in the first amendment to our constitution.  It occurs to me however, that while we are guaranteed free speech, we are not guaranteed that anyone is listening.  We are not promised an audience.  We are not promised that our free speech will not fall on deaf ears.

Speaking is one thing.  Listening is quite another.  If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?  If an orator delivers a speech that no one hears, did he really say anything?

Maybe speech can be legislated or even silenced.  But can you legislate listening? Well, we have all heard the term “captive audience” but I don’t think even the required presence of potential listeners guarantees actual listening, guarantees that the speaker is actually “heard.”  I know this for a fact as I experience this phenomenon on a daily basis in the high school classrooms where I work. (well did work back when schools were open)

Physical presence does not mean listening is taking place.  In the classroom there are many signs that the message is not being received.  The most obvious one is the headphones worn by students, less obvious are the earbuds but the result is the same – the teacher’s words have been tuned out.  Students looking at their phones or texting is another sign that listening is not happening.

Why is listening on my mind today?  Well, with so many people speaking, I am wondering who is left to do the listening?  It’s like everyone is on the podium and there is no one in the audience.  Speakers assume there are listeners.  But maybe rather than their speech falling on “deaf ears,”  it is falling on “no ears.”

Or maybe speakers realize there are just a few listeners to go around, so that’s why they attempt to shout down or silence as many other voices as they can, thereby increasing their chances to be heard.  We are told the protesters/rioters are doing what they are doing in order to be “heard.”  What are the burned out buildings, the broken glass and the profane graffiti saying to us?  It’s hard to listen when you’re busy cleaning up the messes left behind, trying to pick up the pieces, while worrying about what happens next.

There’s no time for listening when you’re busy just trying to survive the damage, the violence, the lack of peace and find a way forward each day.  And yet, in James 1:19-26 we are told something important about listening,

“My dear brothers, take note of this:  Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  . . .  Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  . . .  If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

I confess, I feel like I too often speak without having listened, truly listened.  I am quick to speak, slow to listen.  I want to reverse that – I want to be slow to speak but quick to listen.  I want to be quick to listen to my Heavenly Father and quick to listen to other people.

This is in line with God’s commands to love Him and then to love others as ourselves.  When we love someone we want to hear what they have to say.  We become good listeners in an effort to connect with them.  I can show my care and concern for others by listening to what they have to say.

That’s why I long to hear God’s voice everyday, I want to know what He’s thinking about so many things – about what’s going on in this world, what He wants me to be doing about it today, what words He would have me to speak (if any) – I want to listen to Him because I want to know Him better and understand Him more.

And that’s why I am called to listen to other people – in order to know them better and to understand them more.  Maybe that’s why things are so noisy, so chaotic, so painful and so purposeless right now, because everyone is shouting, making demands, making statements about where they stand and no one has heard a word, no one has truly heard a heart – because there is no one left to listen.

Today, with God’s help I will practice the words of Psalm 46:10,

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

“Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”  (1 Samuel 3:9)

sincerely,        Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

Alright, I confess, I don’t remember a lot of the history I was taught in high school. I could use the fact that high school for me was many years ago as an excuse for my lack of retention of the facts – but the fact would remain – I have forgotten many names, dates and important events which have brought us to where we stand today.

I’m thinking right about now, the protesters/rioters wish they had paid a little more attention in history class too, because it would serve them well now, in their present endeavor of statue toppling and desecration.  Why?  Because if you have a cause, you need to know which statues support your cause and which are against what you stand for before you demolish them.

After all, destroying statues that are on your side just makes you look foolish at best and totally stupid at worst.  And let’s be honest, no rioter/protester wants that kind of an image on social media.  It could actually do harm to your cause.  (you do know what your cause is?  right?)  Although, the media would probably cover for you and not let anyone know that such a blunder in vandalism and violence had occurred.  I think your secret is safe with them.  The media is as concerned about your image as you are.

But this lack of knowledge of American history did become apparent recently in Pennsylvania when rioters assaulted the statue of abolitionist Matthias Baldwin, dousing it with paint and spray painting the words “colonizer” and “murderer” on the statue.  The problem?  This particular guy, Matthias, did believe that black lives matter.  He fought against slavery, established a school for black children and paid the teachers’ salaries himself and lobbied for blacks to be able to vote.

Maybe the rioters don’t know what the term abolitionist means?  This must be the case because they also vandalized Philadelphia’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors monument with the graffiti, “BLM”, even though this monument is in memory of those who fought for the Union, in memory of those who died fighting to end slavery.  Talk about looking foolish, do the protesters not know it was the Union that fought against slavery?

You really do have to know your history before you attempt to erase it from the face of the earth.  If you don’t, you may lose something very important in the process, something absolutely essential to your survival – your identity.  Progress can only be measured against the past.  If there is no past, the evidence of all our progress is erased from our collective memories.

Examples of the protesters ignorance abound, but one of the most glaring and the saddest of these is their vandalizing of the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial in Boston.  Who does this memorial honor?  It honors the first African American volunteer infantry unit that fought in the Civil War.  Their colonel was Robert Gould Shaw.

This memorial took the artist, Saint-Gaudens, fourteen years to complete, finally debuting in 1897.  It is considered the greatest piece of public art to come out of the Civil War and it is one of our nation’s most prized pieces of public art as well. As in other places, the graffiti that defaced this monument included the words “black lives matter” among other four-letter words of profanity painted everywhere. (helpful hint to protesters – if you have a message that’s important to you, don’t bury it beneath profanity, let it stand alone and stand out)

Ironically, this memorial honors black lives.  These were black lives – giving their lives – giving their lives for a cause greater than themselves, freedom.  I think that mattered, I think they mattered.  I think it matters still.  I think they matter still.  Don’t you, protesters?  Obviously you don’t, or you wouldn’t have done what you did to their memorial.

By your actions, protesters, you say you disagree.  You say black lives matter and then you disgrace and dishonor their memory.  Do you want to erase it too?  There is nothing courageous about toppling and tearing down statues, nothing courageous in defacing and destroying memorials and monuments.  Nothing.  No courage is required to do these things.  Just ignorance and anger.  And sadly ignorance breeds anger.  Only truth opens our eyes and sets us free.

Sadly, protesters/rioters, you are not the only people to act wrongly because you do not know history.  The Israelites thought they knew their history, it was written in a book that contained a lot of prophesy about a coming King.  And they were looking forward to His coming – until He came.  When He came, most of them didn’t recognize Him as the One they had been waiting for all this time.  Did they not remember their history?  Or had they never learned their history to begin with?  So out of their ignorance of the truth, they killed Him.  Crucified Him, actually.

We really do need to know our history if we do not want to repeat our mistakes. Destroying the symbols of our past just gives us amnesia – not hope, not peace, not freedom, just empty space where once history mingled with memories too painful to repeat – too important to be forgotten.

That crucified King was Jesus.  He knows our past, our present and our future.  He has been present for all of it.  Revelation 1:8 confirms that,

” ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ ”

Not only is He present with us but the justice, the equality that we have been seeking are found in Him.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”   (Galatians 3:28)

Racial division in Jesus’s time was between Jew and Gentile rather than between black and white.  It seems we always look for some way to separate ourselves from each other.  But in Christ we are all one and God sees us all the same.  He is no respecter of persons.

“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.'” (Acts 10:34)

“After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’ ”   (Revelation 7:9-10)

Did you catch that?  every, no one excluded on the basis of nationality, or ethnic group or language spoken or any arbitrary, humanly devised division.  Why? Because God looks at us differently than we look at ourselves and look at each other.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ ”  (1 Samuel 16:7)

If only we could learn to do that with each other.  Martin Luther King Jr. said it when he said people should be judged “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery said it too, using these words,  “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Lord, give my heart eyes to see that which is essential, that which is essentially, eternally valuable in each person as Your creation  . . .

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

put on your oxygen mask – America is burning

memories of 1812 – a country under siege, lessons learning

my country is burning, burning right before my eyes – my tears cannot be counted, they are too many – too many to disguise – but they are not enough to put out the flames

and so I am forced to watch the destruction of cities, dreams demolished, dreams denied, lives lost without lament – none of them decried   . . .

the enemy?  not some foreign invader who cares little for us, who would take our freedoms and our lives with no thought of conscience to stop him from such evil ends  . . .

no, it is my own countrymen who do these deeds of devastation, defying something evil hiding in our midst, something lurking just out of sight, too ugly to be seen in the light,  buried beneath the banner of liberty and justice for all . . .

perhaps they thought when all was burned away, this evil would be exposed for all to see or would have gone up in smoke along with all the rest  . . .   certainly this evil enemy, this enemy of us all, cannot be fireproof?   can he?

Peace is shattered, Truth buried where we cannot find her anymore and Hope?Hope of finding Truth and resurrecting her before it is too late, seems to be hiding from us in these moments when we need her most –

we need Hope, Hope that Truth will be found and revived, that Freedom will find her voice again, that she will be allowed to speak, that she will be listened to . . .

maybe we don’t want to hear what Truth has to tell, a truth too terrible to be told, so we have closed our eyes, and turned our heads and refused to listen . . .

now America is burning, we are our own enemy – when we have done away with democracy and free speech, when our liberties and our freedoms are gone – when we no longer have the right to pursue our dreams in peace and safety – what will be left to us still standing after every statue is toppled and every God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been trampled underfoot?

what will be left to us besides burned out buildings and empty spaces?  neither of these containing any memory of who we were, who we were hoping to become, where we have been, what we have overcome to get to where we are today, and what is the way forward?

our history shows us where we were wrong and it is our history that will show us the way forward out of those wrongs

the only ones who are doomed to repeat history are those who don’t know history

will it be the hatred, the anger, the violence, the intolerance and the silencing of any dissenting ideas or voices – is that what will survive the flames that light our cities by night?

is that what we will have to show for this time in history?  will this be the time when tyranny takes over, voices are silenced, the mob rules and fear silences the majority of Americans who just want the freedom to work, worship and live in peace?

books are banned in China – that doesn’t happen here

certainly someone will speak up?  is everyone filled with fear?

fire is refining, supposed to burn away the bad;  leaving behind what is better, better than what we had –

“These (trials) have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  (1 Peter 1:7)

but it seems to me at present, hate, anger, lies, deception, manipulation, fear and violence are enjoying free reign while truth, freedom, justice, peace, and democracy are either being held hostage or they were burned beyond recognition in the fires set by the rioters across our country.

Either way, racial injustice, the evil that the protesters hope to eradicate by their actions, may survive the fires while everyone else gets badly burned and we all lose what was worth saving about this country that we all claim as our own.

Hong Kong is currently fighting to maintain its freedoms, even as China attempts to take control of Hong Kong.  Why would Hong Kong resist?  They know what life without personal freedom is like.  We don’t, but we may be about to find out.

In the last few days, people have been fired, silenced, shamed into submission or into issuing public apologies for any words they might have said which don’t appear to fall in line with prevailing acceptable public speech at the moment. Who decides what speech/thoughts are allowed to be shared and which are not?  I thought we still had free speech in this country?

Did I miss the repealing of the first amendment?

Ultimately, it is Truth that needs to be set free, because it is Truth that has the power to expose and to defeat injustice, racial injustice, all injustice.  Ironically, it is Truth that sets us all free.

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  (John 8:32)

No protest, no legislation, no slogans, no hashtags will bring about the changes that need to take place.  This is because a change of heart is necessary in order to abolish all injustice – to put an end to man’s inhumanity to man.

sadly, we are incapable of changing our own hearts – but the One who made us is able to change our hearts.  we need to humble ourselves and ask Him for what He wants to give us –

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  (Psalm 51:10)

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”  (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

God’s laws are – love Him and love each other.  If we were truly loving each other, we would be treating each other justly.

“Love does no harm to its neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”  (Romans 12:10)

It is no coincidence that while corona caused the cancellation and the closing of all of our places of worship, other forces rushed in to fill the void left in each of our lives when we could no longer exercise our faith corporately in community with each other.  That is where America got her start, in houses of worship – that is where America gains her strength – in houses of prayer.  And that is where America will receive the heart transplant she so desperately needs in order to survive – in our places of worship and prayer all over this country.  Without it, she will surely die.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,  . . .  He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”   (Psalm 33:12 &15)

I pray that George Floyd and David Dorn did not die in vain.  I pray that “the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  (Gettysburg address)

I pray that we all drop to our knees and cry out to the God who created us in His image and bestowed upon us the “unalienable rights” that our Declaration of Independence acknowledges are from Him not from government.  When we do this, we have His assurance that He will hear us and in hearing us, He will answer us.

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”    (2 Chronicles 7:14-15)

Lord, heal our broken hearts – heal our battered, burned and broken land

sincerely,     Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I confess – I feel very mournful.  Mine is a general sense of mourning, one that is at once overwhelmingly present with me while at the same time it is elusive, just out of conscious reach.  There are so many things to feel sad about, it is hard for me to focus on just one, to grieve it and to give it its due.

And while I have been busy grieving, a coup has taken place in the past two weeks right before my very eyes.  COVID-19 has been defeated – well more like dethroned actually.  I had missed the coronation of COVID-19 as king,  missed the part where we all agreed and consented to making COVID king, to making COVID ruler of all. Nevertheless, COVID has been ruler of all for the past three months – ruler of all decisions made on the personal, local, state, national and global levels.

Imagine the power?  We don’t have to, we beheld it firsthand from our homes on a daily basis – as every decision made was passed through a COVID tented lens before any action was taken.  The result?  Shutdown of everything not deemed “essential” by king COVID’s enforcers.

Businesses were closed, streets were empty.  My friend died but I could not attend her funeral, there was no funeral to attend.  Funerals were not permitted under king COVID’s rule.  Then a rival reared his ugly head, Injustice, his name. Excessive use of force by someone in power over someone powerless.  This is always wrong and now added to this wrong was the fact that the victim and the perpetrator of the wrong were of different skin colors – racial injustice.

This wrong is what has set us all free from the tyrannical reign of king COVID. Suddenly our once empty streets are now full of people in cities all across our country. They have remained packed with people, day after day, night after night for the past two weeks.  I watch in wonder remembering when a few people protested in a few cities (including my own city) only weeks before, because they wanted to be allowed to open up their businesses.  They were told they would be arrested if they opened their salons, gyms, restaurants, etc. and the few that attempted such a thing were arrested.

Those protesters were called murderers by the media but now these protesters and rioters that fill our streets are deferred to and cheered on as heroes by the same media.  Their numbers are large, there is no social distancing and they are not being put in jail.  Certainly this bodes well for all kinds of social gatherings that have been illegal until now.  I’m guessing weddings, funerals, restaurants, churches etc. should feel free to take place and to open up based on this new turn of events.

After all, isn’t that what the protesters are protesting, injustice?  Aren’t they asking for equal treatment for all of us?  I want that too.  I think everyone does.  So given the extremely large numbers of the protesters, I think restaurants could probably operate at full capacity without the world coming to an end.  In fact, even in a full restaurant there would be less people gathered together than are gathered on our streets to protest.  If people can pack the streets for days on end, I think they could probably attend a NASCAR race for a couple of hours.  Doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to me.

Yesterday, I mourned alone at home as I watched the televised funeral of George Floyd. There was another funeral taking place yesterday as well, that of retired St. Louis police captain David Dorn.  Dorn was shot and killed during the riots/protests which followed Floyd’s death as he was defending a store against the rioters’ destruction.  His death and funeral barely got a mention in the news even though he is black like Floyd.  Coverage of Floyd’s memorials and mourning has been round the clock on every station.  Someone has decided who is worthy of our mourning and who is not.

I have seen for the last few days, any time I turn on my TV, a video clip of Buffalo police knocking down an older gentlemen as they march past him.  About a week ago I saw a video news clip of policemen in Flint Mi. and in Indianapolis, In. laying aside their weapons and joining in with the peaceful protesters.  (not the rioters) This deescalated the situation and changed the whole atmosphere for the better.  I could see it with my own eyes.

I assumed I would see these particular reports again as news stories tend to repeat themselves at each newscast throughout the day.  I never saw them again but continue to see the Buffalo incident replayed even now several days later.  Who decides what news gets presented and what news gets ignored or hidden?  I find myself just wanting to know the truth.

I find myself grieving the burned down businesses and the destruction of the dreams of the people that owned them and worked in them that they represent.  I mourn people I know that have passed during COVID.   Though they did not die of COVID, their loss is no less of a loss, although the messaging has been only COVID deaths count at this time.  (and here I thought all lives matter)

But that is not the word in the street.  That word is “black lives matter,”  not “all lives matter”, such as the lives of the unborn, the lives of the elderly, the lives of the handicapped  – truth is, to God, all lives matter.

I am grieving the loss of life, the loss of a job, the loss of daily freedoms I took for granted, freedoms I gave up for a “good cause” and now cannot get them returned to me, none of us can.  I am grieving the evil and the violence and the oppression and the lies that threaten to take control of our previously free society.  When any voice of dissent is silenced, freedom cannot live for long.

I feel like Habakkuk when he said in 1:2-5, “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen?  Or cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ but You do not save?  Why do You make me look at injustice?  Why do You tolerate wrong?  Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.  Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.  The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.  The Lord’s Answer ‘Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed.  For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.’ ”

Conflict abounds, that’s what I see before me everywhere I look.  This constant conflict fills me with grief.  Which brings me back to this ever-present state of mourning I find myself in, precisely because there continues to be so much to mourn.  Psalm 34:18 assures me I am not alone when I mourn, saying,

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

I take comfort in His closeness while I wait and watch for Him to act because I know my Heavenly Father is a God of justice.  Isaiah 61:8 says,

“For I , the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.  In My faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.”

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him!”  (Isaiah 30:18)

I am saddened right now by the lack of peace and the lack of justice that seem to surround all of us, but I rest in the promise of these words from Isaiah 9:6-7,

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders.  And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

sincerely,     Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I can’t hear you when you’re shouting.”  Have you ever said that to your small children? or anyone else for that matter?  On the surface this statement seems to be contradictory.  But it’s intent is to get the speaker to lower the volume so that their message can be more readily received.  Good advice for people of any age really.  Maybe that’s why God so often chooses to whisper to our hearts.  Even though His voice is booming thunder, He knows a whisper can be more effective than a shout.

The volume of our national dialogue has been louder than ever lately, actually deafening at times.  It’s hard to hear anyone clearly when everyone is shouting. And it’s hard to know who to listen to.  So many competing voices.  So many points of view.  Where do I turn?  To whom do I listen?  Psalm 25:4-5 says,

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.”

Proverbs 2:6-11 has more good advice for me when I am wondering where to turn to make sense of all I hear, when I am wondering whose voice to heed.

“For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones.  Then you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”

I need all those things – understanding, wisdom, knowledge, discretion – I want to understand what is right and just and fair.  I want to choose a good path.  But how can I know which path to choose?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”   (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I have to let my Heavenly Father lead me.  I have to listen for His voice above every other voice.  In order to listen, I have to be still.

“Be still and Know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  (Psalm 46:10)

“Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live.”  (Isaiah 55:3)

Why do I want to hear my Heavenly Father’s voice so desperately?  Because that’s where I will find the answers that I seek.

“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”   (Colossians 2:2-3)

Christ has all wisdom and knowledge.  I don’t need to look anywhere else or listen to all the other voices surrounding me, wanting to lead me in many different directions.  My Heavenly Father says,

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  (Jeremiah 33:3)

when my God answers me, I pray I am found listening for His voice, that no matter how loud the world is shouting  – I will hear His whispered words of life.

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It occurs to me today as I title this post, that although the Corona virus still dictates our daily lives, it no longer dominates our daily headlines.  Another voice has drowned it out for the time being.  Another issue has taken Corona’s place, one that holds us captive with curfews, one that has held us captive in more subtle ways for over a century.

Racial injustice continues to be exposed but needs to be eradicated from our country.  Justice is supposed to be color blind or it is not justice at all.  It is not justice for all.  Our Declaration of Independence guarantees each one of us those “unalienable rights” given to us by God not government, of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Because these rights are God given, no government should deny any of us those rights –  rights rightfully bestowed by our Creator when He made us in His image. We need to remember the self-evident truth that “all men are created equal.”  We are equal in God’s eyes and it’s His perfect vision of us that should dictate how we see ourselves, how we see each other and how we see this world.

Unfortunately, our vision is short sighted and too often clouded with our own prejudices and preconceptions.  God’s take on our situation is very clear, however. In 1 John 4:19-21 we read,

“We love because He first loved us.  If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

We need to embrace this command, take it to heart and live it out.  No legislation can change what is a problem of the heart.  Heart’s are breaking, hearts need to be changing also.  But the only One who can truly change our hearts is the One who created them in the first place.  In Ezekiel 36:26 God says,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

That’s the heart change we all need, as a nation and as individuals.  We need our hard hearts to be made soft.  That process involves breaking them and grieving before any healing can take place.  When anger replaces grief we never fully grieve what we have lost and are not able to heal.  Anger doesn’t allow healing to take place.

And we so desperately need both healing and hope right now.  The words of Psalm 103:2-6 have enlightened and encouraged me today as I feel lost amid the chaos so much crime and violence have brought to cities everywhere.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”

There is hope in those final words, God is working righteousness and justice for those who are mistreated and oppressed.  Psalm 9:9-10 says,

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”

As I hang onto hope again today while waiting for wrongs to be righted and peace and freedom to be restored, I hang onto these words from Isaiah 40:31,

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

this is not a time to faint but a time to stand firm against what is evil, instead proclaiming what is good, God’s love for us, as His creation, and His command that we are to love each other as He has loved us.

“My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”   (John 15:12-13)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

My confession today is a big one, a really big one. It is this.  Yesterday I participated in a mass movement, a mass march, a mass demonstration in the exercise of our freedom, in the exercise of my freedom in this country.  It was a slow march, excruciatingly slow at times, which would explain why it took me three and a half hours to complete.

I was surprised just to find myself in the situation I found myself in yesterday.  I have been home since mid March.  I am a non essential worker so my services were no longer required and further I was required to stay home.  Everything was closed anyway, so there was no reason to go out.  Except for a couple of food runs a month, I was not out at all.

My interpersonal interactions have all been on zoom except for outdoor, very socially distanced conversations with neighbors or fellow walkers.  But I have not been anywhere where there has been a large crowd, or even a small crowd for that matter.  Places are starting to open but the number of people allowed into any particular place is regulated to keep the number of people low.

The Verizon store where I went today is a good example of this.  Only three individuals are allowed in the whole store at one time.  That would be the employee and two customers max.  Anyone else must wait outside.  (appropriately socially distanced of course)

So you can imagine how overwhelming my experience of yesterday must have been for me, dear readers.  After two and a half months of not being around even small groups of living, breathing human beings, I felt I had entered the world I have been watching on my TV screen this past week – but not.

Let me try to explain what I mean.  People were everywhere I looked.  The lines were long and not seeming to move much, so the lines continued to grow longer behind me as the afternoon wore on into evening.  It was a beautiful, warm summer afternoon and I was grateful for the breeze.  I also had my umbrella up to shield me from the sun.  (a few others also had umbrellas out for this purpose so I didn’t feel myself to be the only weirdo)

The crowd seemed to contain the entire spectrum of humanity.  From the old to the young,  every age group was represented, every color of skin could be seen. People from every socio-economic group were there, people from every religious persuasion, (or none) people of every political bent, people from every walk and way of life were represented by those of us who waited patiently in those long, winding lines.  And wait we did!

We waited in the hot sun, we waited through a brief rain shower, (umbrellas came in handy then) we waited through more hot sun, all the while seeking shade whenever possible, and still we waited.

There were some uniformed men on the scene making their way up and down the lines of people, I watched them approach, then gladly received the bottle of water they were offering to each of us.  Not what I had seen on TV at all.  I breathed a sigh of relief.

And still we waited in the very long line, a line growing longer behind us by the minute.  People were on their phones or talking with the people nearest them. Some had come as a family, there were young children there in the line, learning early what the exercise of freedom looks like in this country.  I hope it is a lesson they remember and carry with them into adulthood.

It was a quiet gathering, it was a peaceful scene.  People would call out in greeting as someone they knew walked past, glad to see a familiar face I guess.  Cars would pull in and out of the parking lot as people left and more people came to take their place.  People would sit on the curb when the wait got to be too much, or a few had brought a lawn chair.  And so we waited.

I begin to marvel at the patience of the people that surrounded me as one hour turned into two and the line ahead of us was long and didn’t seem to be moving all that much.  Still, there were no deserters.  Everyone hung in and held their place in the ever lengthening line.

My TV screen had been full of loud, angry people seemingly running rampant and roughshod over everyone, including each other.  Here there seemed to be a good-natured, supportive comaraderie developing between people as they continued to wait in the heat.  We seemed to be encouraging each other to “hang in there” just a while longer.  I was able to share my umbrella with a stranger for a few brief moments during the summer shower.  Little moments of care can go such a long way in trying circumstances.

Peace continued to prevail into the third hour of our wait and still no deserters, just a constant stream of new arrivals.  What would be so important that we would all wait patiently in these long lines?  Yesterday was election day.  Our opportunity to exercise our right to vote is what kept each of us there.  We were part of a mass march to the polls, however slow our pace.

I have voted at this particular place for the past twenty years.  I had not anticipated this experience because in the past there had never been a line, the huge school gym easily accommodated the spacing of necessary booths etc.  and I encountered very few people during my voting experience because I was in and out so quickly.

I have never had a voting experience like this one in my entire life.  I am grateful not to have missed this opportunity to really take note of and appreciate freedom and democracy in action as if for the first time.  I had plenty of time for reflection and plenty of time for thought as I waited in those long lines.  The lesson was not lost on me.  Ironically, this experience was brought to me courtesy of COVID-19.

Because of COVID restrictions, most of the polling places were closed.  Only a small fraction of the polling places were open.  This was to achieve COVID  prevention and protection goals of limiting the number of people that can be in any given place together, allowing room for social distancing to be practiced while they are together and keeping the time short in which people are out of their homes and with other people.  (essential business only)

Well, as you already know we ended up with a very large number of people, together for a very long time, with not enough space to properly social distance because of the large crowd.  None of the COVID prevention objectives were met. Let the irony of that one sink in.  With all the polls open as in the past, the numbers would have been small at each place, making it easy to practice social distancing, and wait times, if any, would have been minimal.

But I digress.  I am well into my third hour and the line ahead of me looms longer than ever it seems.  A lady aways  behind me in line appears fatigued and her husband summons help from the medics that have been present for the duration. Those around her urge her to move all the way up to the front of the line (which we cannot see from where we are, but we know it must exist) and her husband helps her along in that direction with everyone nodding agreement.  Not one person raised a voice or a fist of protest against her moving up so that she could cast her vote before becoming too ill to do so.  It was all encouragement and support.

I overheard a mother telling her son, “you will be able to do this in twelve years.”   What an example she is setting for her son!  He will remember this long afternoon long after he is grown, I am sure.

Thankfully, this was not the America I had seen on my TV screen.  The America I found myself in for three and a half hours yesterday, was the America people had envisioned when they gave their lives so that we could have the privilege of standing in line to cast our votes.

Certainly, the least we could do was to stay the course and cast our votes.  And so we waited.  I would hear cheers up ahead as voters exited the poll after having finally accomplished their goal.  Eventually, I would accomplish my goal, too.

I passed a very long line of people still waiting as I left the building and headed to my car.  I wanted to encourage these strangers but had no words.  They didn’t need them, they were already determined to exercise their right to cast a vote.

Given the events of the past week, I would have thought a polling place would be a place easily given over to argument and dissension.  Certainly many of these people were out of work or maybe had lost a loved one during this pandemic. Many were probably carrying extra heavy burdens from the pandemic and from the protests. Still, they came, they stood, they waited, they voted.

Yet the peaceful, supportive, purposeful atmosphere that prevailed at the poll, was America at its best on display for anyone to see.  There were no camera crews at our poll, too bad.  The message of hope, that we still believe in our country enough to show up, stand in line for hours, and let our vote speak for us would be a welcome encouragement to others.

Hopefully, the protesters took time out of their busy protest schedules to show up at the polls and cast their vote.  The polls are the place where every citizen can have their voice heard. Rich and famous or poor and unknown, our voices are heard equally at the ballot box.  Everybody gets one vote.

I am glad I showed up to vote.  I saw firsthand how much people value their right to vote in person on election day.  The fact that people weren’t leaving but staying, standing in the heat for hours, was proof of their determination to be heard.  I am proud to be one of those that persevered at the poll.

I pray for peace in the days ahead.  I pray for us to truly be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are confusing times and I confess – I am often confused by the events that continue to unfold around me and around all of us in this country.  I might as well confess something else as long as I’m in confession mode.  I have never liked action/thriller movies all that much.  I prefer, predictably I know, the romantic comedy or drama or true life story sagas.  I think the reason I don’t favor the action/thriller movies is that I can’t follow them when the shooting starts and the fighting ensues.

I can’t tell who is who.  Who are the bad guys?  Who are the good guys?  Who is winning right now?  (side note – it’s not good to ask others too many questions during the important scenes of a movie, it tends to irritate them)  Isn’t that the way it is sometimes?  We’re not sure who to root for.  We can’t tell the bad guys from the good guys – or at least I can’t.

This has again been true for me during this past week as I watch events in many cities unfold before my eyes on the TV news.  There are people packed together everywhere I look.  There are signs, there are fires, there is smoke and noise and more noise.  I can’t tell the protesters from the rioters.  And this is important because there is a huge difference.

If I were there in the street with them, would I know who was who?  Could I then tell the good guys from the bad guys?  Protesters prefer peace.  Rioters count on the chaos they come to cause to cover their tracks and hide their identities.

Protesters are exercising their God given, constitutional right and responsibility to peacefully assemble to confront injustice and bring about change.  They have a message that needs to be heard and they want to make the world a better place for everyone.

Rioters are not exercising any of their rights because there is no right to burn property that you do not own.  There is no right to steal what does not belong to you, what you did not pay for and did not earn.  There is no personal right to smash windows, destroy buildings and cars, deface and vandalize public and private property.  Rioters have no intention of making the world a better place or of making anything better for anyone.

But the two groups have been sharing the streets of our country this past week but not sharing the spotlight.  The spotlight has been stolen by the rioters as they burn down communities, sending the message that the protesters want heard up in smoke along with citizen’s hopes and dreams of reopening businesses and living in peace.

The protesters are against injustice, the rioters are delivering injustice to us all every night by their actions.  And the rioters are delivering the protesters an injustice even more long lasting, they are denying the protesters their moment to make their message heard.  Their message is being silenced nightly by the noise of the conflict.

In the noise and confusion of the streets it is hard to tell who is who.  Who is there to help and who is there to do harm?  The rioters are hiding behind the cause of the protesters and then getting them blamed for the destruction left in their wake.

The criminal disguised as a peaceful protester exercising his first amendment rights reminds me of what it says in Matthew 7:15,

“Watch out for false prophets.  (substitute protesters)  They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them.”

And there is another wolf in sheep’s clothing in this mix as well.  Wearing the clothing of those who serve and protect, sometimes even giving their lives in the service of those they are protecting, this wolf was revealed when he took a life instead of saving one.

Often, the wolf among the sheep is discovered only after it is too late to save the sheep.  So you can see why I am confused and having trouble telling the bad guys from the good guys, can’t you, dear readers?  It is especially difficult when the bad guys are dressed up in the good guys’ uniforms.  Some are disguised as protectors and some as protesters but they turn out to be the bad guys in the end.

And it seems like I am always surprised, I didn’t see it coming.  Or maybe I just want to believe the best about people.  Either way, I think we are all ready for peace to reign in our cities and on our streets.  We are ready to come out of our houses and to be together, but this is not the way we wanted mass gatherings to take place once again.  A concert or a baseball game would have been a lot more fun and a lot less dangerous than these daily/nightly mass gatherings of people.

I wish I could separate the protesters from the pretenders.  That is necessary for justice to take place.  And that’s the point of these protests – justice –  equal justice for everyone.  That’s what we all want for ourselves and for others.  But like me, sometimes we can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys.  Human justice falls far short of true justice.

But there is One who judges justly and He will have the final say.   And He will make all things right in the end.  We are just not there yet.  But there will come a day, there will come a time, when justice will reign down from heaven.

“Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns.’  The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.   . . .   they will sing before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth.”   (Psalm 96:10 & 13)

“The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment.  He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice.  The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”    (Psalm 9:7-10)

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.  Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’    . . .    Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed’ ”       (Matthew 25:31-34 & 41)

See, God has that perspective, that vision that I don’t have and will never have. He can tell the sheep from the goats.  He can tell the good guys from the bad guys because He has perfect vision.  He never makes a mistake.  He sees it all.

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”  (Hebrews 4:13)

Peter referred to God as “Him who judges justly.”  (1 Peter 2:23)

Colossians 3:25 assures us that, “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”

That’s what makes God the perfect judge, His perspective is complete, His vision is perfect, missing nothing, and He has all wisdom and all knowledge.  He is omniscient.  And He is impartial, showing no favoritism.

“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.'” (Acts 10:34)

I have the hope of justice for all, because my Heavenly Father is a God of justice for all, who will make all things right in His perfect timing.  Until then, I will wait in hope while working for justice here on earth until He comes again to right every wrong Himself, in person.

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ ” (Revelation 21:4-5)

“Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create,”  (Isaiah 65:17-18)

holding onto hope, praying for peace,

sincerely,      Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I confess – I never thought it would last this long – not these Chronicles, not this pandemic, not these closures, not the restrictions.  I never thought we would go this long without sports or music.  I never thought churches would still be closed.

Guess I should take a clue from the number fifty as to how long this is lasting.  Of course it is more than fifty days, closer to eighty depending on when you think this all got started.  But what irony it should end like this, this journey of distance and isolation.  We were told some things would be opening up this month, with the provision that things could change at any time.  Still there was hope on the horizon.

Then in cities everywhere, the very businesses that were on the verge of reopening, having survived the COVID-19 crisis, fell victim to looters and arsonists. These businesses have been killed not by the COVID-19 virus but by the violence of criminals committing  crime.  Essential businesses that were already open have now been effectively shutdown also, by the same vandalism and arson.

I guess the reopening debate in these places no longer needs to be debated. There is nothing left to reopen in the areas and communities where the riots occurred. The promise of reopening had given people hope that they would be called back to work when permission was given to open these various businesses back up.  They were so close.  Now what?

It is interesting that while our streets are packed full of protesters by day and full of rioters by night, our houses of worship remain empty.  I guess the rules and restrictions on number of people allowed to be together in any one location while maintaining required social distance at all times don’t apply to them?  If those regulations did apply to them, they could all be arrested and jailed, just like the salon owner in Texas.

Our churches aren’t just places of worship, they are places of prayer.  In Isaiah 56:7 we read, “for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Jesus told the people in the temple the same thing saying, “My house will be called a house of prayer,”  (Matthew 21:13)

Why is this important right now?  Because, while our streets are filled with people protesting, our houses of prayer need to be filled also, filled with people praying, people crying out to God for our country, for our world, for each other.

“if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14-15)

Our land certainly needs healing as never before.  We need prayer as never before, yet we find that our houses of prayer are closed to us at this most critical moment in our nation’s history.  It is our prayer houses that need to be full, not our streets in the dark.

Fortunately, we can pray from our homes, from our prayer closets, from our front porches and from our driveways.  We can cry out from this deep pit we find ourselves in and we are heard.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.  From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears.”   (Psalm 18:6)

“I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me.”  (Psalm 120:1)

How good it is to know that someone hears me, that I do not cry out in vain.  I think that’s all the protesters really want, to be heard – for their voices to be heard and acknowledged.  They want to know that they matter, that they have value. Each one of us wants that very same thing.  So we end up fighting each other.

Turns out, all along we have been fighting the wrong enemy.  A quote from one of my favorite movies, Remember the Titans, explains this.  When white Bertier says to black teammate Julius, “I was afraid of you, Julius.  I only saw what I was afraid of, and now I know I was only hating (fighting against) my brother.”

We are all supposed to be fighting the enemy we have in common, the virus, COVID-19.  This virus has been called the invisible enemy for the obvious reason that it is invisible to our human eyes.  We cannot discern its presence but we suffer its effects.

In the same way, we all have another enemy in common who is also invisible – invisible and even more deadly than COVID-19.  Ephesians 6:12-13 & 18, explains it this way,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  . . .  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

There’s that praying again.  It begins and ends with prayer.  And we don’t have a prayer apart from prayer of turning this situation in our country around.  Prayer is powerful, especially from a posture of humility on one’s knees.  Who would think that the war against our mutual, invisible enemies will be won on our knees?  But it will.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”  (James 5:16)

sincerely,       Grace Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday again.  I walk in the cool stillness of this early morning, surrounded by a silence so complete that I can hear every bird call, every rustle of tree leaves in the breeze, every movement of every bunny and squirrel darting here and there – with the sunrise all is light, all is peace, all is quiet, all is infinite beauty everywhere I look . . .

Certainly this world I am walking in cannot be the same world I saw on my TV screen.  That world is dark, chaotic, ugly and full of noise.  That world is a world lit only by burning buildings and cars on fire, a world with streets full of people throwing bricks and firecrackers, breaking windows, shouting, running, looting, carrying off the contents of store after store – while, while what?  while nothing –

the thieves appear unchallenged as they destroy property not their own and take whatever they want – one would think they would be stopped, but there are no police to protect people’s private property, no firemen are there to put out the fires.  it appears people are cheering, celebrating – celebrating what I wonder?

I wonder why I am not seeing any social distancing or wearing of face masks as these people continue with their get-together.  Maybe riots and rioters are exempt from current Corona rules and regulations?  I don’t think anyone took their temperatures or made them register online before showing up.  I know the ban on large gatherings has not yet been lifted.

But the streets are packed full of people, people that have been pent up in their places for the last three months waiting to be released, now filling the streets with their anger and their violence.  No matter that permission to assemble in large groups has yet to be granted.  Theaters, museums, sports venues, libraries, places of worship are not open to people.  No concerts, no baseball games but – overnight we have streets full of people in major cities all across our country.

And sadly these assemblies are not for the purpose of celebrating the lifting of the restrictions, the reopening of our culture and of our society.  These are not celebrations of all that has gone uncelebrated while we were closed down – all the birthdays, anniversary’s, weddings, graduations, trips, Easter, Memorial Day, all the moments that have gone unmarked in the usual ways – moments passed by and passed over while we were otherwise engaged – moments and milestones now at last ready to be recognized and celebrated.

No, that is not what has filled our streets, filled them just as street fairs and farmers markets and marathons and parades used to fill them, just as football stadiums or baseball parks used to be full in their seasons.  No this is not a full house on opening night or a church filled full with singing worshipers – no, gatherings such as these are currently deemed much too dangerous to be allowed.

No, this is something else – even though our right to assemble has been currently limited and put on hold – what I see on my TV screen, is something I cannot bear to watch, do not want to admit is really happening in my own city and in cities all across our country – something sinister and evil, something fueled by anger and by hate.

The words peaceful protest are used but that is not what I see before me.  I see vandalism and violence, theft, arson, chaos, confusion and noise, so much noise. Everyone wants their voice to be heard but in the din of this chaos there are no distinct voices, there are no clear voices, there are no voices of reason or of compassion.  There is no message put forth.  Because the noise level is so loud, any message to honor the memory of the murdered man is lost.  It is simply not heard above the chaos.

This would be the man whose murder ignited people’s pent up frustration, anger and despair which is now compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and ready to be released.  We have witnessed this releasing and the damage, devastation and destruction that have resulted so far.  Sadly, our attention is turned to the rioters and the burned out buildings they leave behind, not allowing us to properly grieve the loss of George Floyd.  Turns out, his name is being totally eclipsed by the successive nights of violence and vandalism taking place in our cities.  I wonder how many of the protesters/rioters filling the streets could even tell you his name if they were asked?

How I wish these rioters would take a page from the playbook of Martin Luther King Jr. – the man who proved to the world that there is such a thing as a peaceful protest.  I would have thought these two words an oxymoron, but Dr. King proved that the peaceful protest is possible.  Dr. King knew this truth – the answer to injustice is not more injustice.

On August 28th, 1963 two-hundred fifty thousand people showed up in Washington DC for the March on Washington.  It was a mile march from the Washington Memorial to the Lincoln Memorial, where speeches were given and music was played.  Many remarkable things came out of this peaceful protest, the most notable – Dr. King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech.

Dr. King’s words were heard, his message was received.  The absence of chaos and crime during the March on Washington made this possible.  When there is chaos, no voices are heard above the noise.  No message is sent, nothing of value is received.  Things are only torn down and taken away.  No progress is made.  Only setbacks result from riots, crime and violence.

In contrast to today’s riots, King’s peaceful protests left a legacy that endures, still here for others to follow even today.  His “I Have a Dream” speech is possibly the all time greatest speech ever spoken in history.  These powerful words could not have been delivered nor could they have been heard had the protesters turned out to be rioters.  But as it is, we still have his words with us today.

There is a big difference between a protester and a rioter.  The former cares deeply about human rights and about other human beings.  The latter has no regard for the law, the rights of others or human life and liberty.  They are opportunists cashing in on the misery, misfortune and heartache of others with no regard for the pain their actions will most certainly cause those with whom they share their community.  Rioters care only for themselves.

It turns out, in some of the cities, there have been some peaceful gatherings of people protesting during the day.  They are seeking justice for George Floyd and justice for other minorities that have been mistreated at the hands of the law. Hopefully, justice extended to one will result in justice being extended to all.

So if these began as peaceful gatherings, what happened?  It got dark.  Eventually night came.  The result was the same in every city.

” . . . but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”   (John 3:19-20)

When morning comes, others are left to pick up the pieces of shattered glass and shattered lives and shattered dreams left in the wake of another night of fear and violence.  No voices have been heard, nothing of value, lasting or otherwise, has been achieved.

There is a Shakespeare quote from Macbeth about our lives saying that they are “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”  But that is not true.  Dr. King’s life, legacy and words have signified much and continue to signify much as their positive, life affirming impact continues to be present with us to this very day.

It is those who abuse their power, those who oppress others, those who tear down and destroy, sowing dissension and reaping division and despair among people longing for peace and prosperity, it is those people who end up signifying nothing in the final analysis.

We were created to be free.  Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, (5:1) the following,

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us (me/you) free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

I want the privilege of being among those in Dr. King’s dream, who are holding hands and singing,  “Free at last, Free at last, Great God a-mighty, We are free at last.”

sincerely,      Grace Day