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

Trompe L'oeil

Though one would never suspect it from a cursory glance at this photo-anemic blog, I am such a visual person. I have professed my love of design in a previous post and many other posts have been inspired by things that I have experienced with my eyes. I suspect that I am far from alone in this.

In spite of that, the circumstances of the last several years are reinforcing in me a greater understanding that my eyes can't always be trusted. I am learning how to really walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), like Abraham not to weaken in my faith due to the details (Romans 4:17), and to trust that "God gives life to things that were dead and calls things that are not as though there were." (Romans 4:19)

Many years ago, I heard a speaker on the radio give a definition of the word "fear" as "false evidence appearing real". (I remember it because it's succinct and a visually appealing acronymn.) I have found that fear is a favorite strategy of the enemy. He loves to illuminate circumstances and situations that loom in opposition to God's promises, attempt to shift the focus on those instead of our Heavenly Father, and allow the mental spiral that comes from losing real perspective to cause a riot in our minds. It reminds me of the art form known as "trompe l'oeil", which translates, "fools the eye." Every detail must be meticulously executed in a work of this genre to make it appear real. It's more than smoke and mirrors, but no matter how convincing the imitation, it's never what it appears to be.

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:5