I am Trayvon Martin.

I was sick yesterday when breaking news reported that George Zimmerman had been acquitted and then proceeded to show a clip of his emotionless face as the verdict was read on his behalf. Utterly. Sick.
I am sick that our nation is so broken and so divided by the colors of our skin. I am sickened by the understanding that human life has been so cheapened that defending our "stuff" is more important than preserving another life. I am sickened that our justice system is not at all just. And, I am saddened because regardless of what the jury ruled in this case, one young man is gone and another man was validated in the taking of that life. I am sure that he and the jurors will have to wrestle with that one for the rest of their lives.

I am Trayvon Martin. I have been watched and followed, and assessed based on the color of my skin and the texture of my hair. My husband is Trayvon Martin. He has witnessed women clutching their purses closer as he boarded the bus, clean-shaven and well-dressed headed to high school. My son is Trayvon Martin. Clad in any one of his hoodies while listening to Sho Baraka proclaim the goodness of God on his ipod, the idle passerby would never figure him for the scholar and godly young man that those who actually know him understand him to be. The truth is, regardless of race or gender, we are all Trayvon Martin to eyes not knowing nor understanding instead simply reacting to what they have been socialized to see and believe.

I pray for George Zimmerman that he might come to know the peace of knowing God, and put his trust in Him rather than firearms. I pray for the Martins. May they sense God's arms around them as never before and be bathed in the comfort the he alone can give. And I pray for this nation. Oh how we need a savior. How very much do we need The Saviour

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

Ambassador

am·bas·sa·dor (amˈbasədər)
Noun
1: an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.

2: A person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.

-Lord forgive us for representing you so poorly.
-Lord forgive us for pursuing our own agendas instead of yours.
-Lord forgive us for getting taken in by the love of money.
-Lord give us your eyes, ears, and hearts for a sick and dying world.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us..." 2 Corinthians 5:20

"I See Dead People"

I have noticed a troubling phenomenon in the church lately that the famous line uttered by Haley Joel Osment in the movie The Sixth Sense* sums up beautifully. "I see dead people." The 21st century church seems to be experiencing a zombie apocalypse. It is filled with folks with lifeless eyes, and eery, waxed on smiles that say the right buzz phrases and appear to be in motion but, are not alive with the spirit of God. They, like zombies, seem suspended between two worlds, neither dead to the things of this world nor fully alive in Christ. The result is folks that are powerless, ineffective in the battle, and just plain old creepy.

2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and behold all things are new." Accepting Christ requires that one lay aside one's old behaviors and perspectives and allow oneself to be created anew. The eighth chapter of Romans describes in detail what life in the spirit consists of, Galatians 2:20 verifies that, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me", and Jesus himself told Nicodemus that, "unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) All of these passages make it clear that we are not to remain as we were when we came to Christ. We are to be transformed by the relationship. No zombies allowed.

Just for the record, the only zombie that I've ever loved was the delicious cheese zombie served in my high school cafeteria which consisted of the perfect marriage of thick bread and gooey cheddar cheese, made to be dunked in creamy tomato soup which accompanied it.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13

*(aside: I have never seen the movie, but the quote was just that popular)

Vacuum

In a nation that celebrates mavericks and hedonism, we often fail to remember that we do not live independently of each other. As such, one's personal life may not be so personal. The words of John Donne remind us that life is not lived out in a vacuum. He stated that, "No man is an island, entire of itself every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less..."

Over the weekend my hubby and I had the opportunity to attend a local production of the Arthur Miller play, "Death of a Salesman." It was my first time seeing this work and the theater company executed it beautifully. In the play, adolescent Biff Loman is derailed upon discovering that his father, whom he idolized, is having an affair with another woman. This revelation comes late in the second act. In the initial act, we'd become fairly well acquainted with Biff the young man, who has lost his way. This new information helps us finally understand that the consequences of his father's actions have left deep scars in Biff; accounting for the restless man that he has become.

As unpopular as it is, our actions are not remote. They have consequences that extend beyond ourselves effecting countless others in unforeseen ways. As such, we are very much our brothers' keeper. I pray that my life is a source of encouragement to my fellow travelers, rather than a stumbling block.