How many times do we feel these things in tragic situations? It is normal and human. What we do not feel is the proper feeling. That feeling is responsibility. I said it. You and I are responsible for these types of tragedies. Not in the way the politicians are going to paint it. Not in the way that the media is going to paint it. Not even in the way that the devil is going to paint it in our minds. Yet, we are responsible.
You read this and say, "How in the world could I be responsible for the actions of a deranged mad man in Charleston, South Carolina?" We are responsible because for too long people on both ends of the political spectrum, all races, all nationalities, and all stripes of religious persuasions have failed to live courageously. We have elevated our desire to be right over our duty to care. We have jumped toward extremism at every opportunity. Every tragedy has become a place to grind an axe. We lack courage enough to be compassionate and empathetic. We place our feet firmly on the supposed moral high ground and look below at what we view as beneath us. Then, in the same breath we discount the immoral underpinnings of the world that is falling around us.
What does courage look like today in this world?
It looks like forgetting your preferences and politics in order to just wrap your arms around your neighbor and cry with them. As our tears commingle we find that the trappings of our supposedly unshakeable positions look far less important as those tears form a river of healing.
Courage looks like calling evil what it is, regardless of its origin.
Courage looks like being willing to be disparaged in the public view for the sake of what is right. The culture of the day begs us to be divisive. Courage is to reject that as an evil lie.
Just a week ago I had the privilege to pray, worship, and spend time with a group of pastors in the community. Our backgrounds, age, and race were across the spectrum. Yet, we held hands and prayed for peace in our community. We prayed for understanding in our state. We prayed for repentance and revival in our nation. Fervently, we together cried out to God to give us the courage to lead people courageously in dark and uncertain times.
Yet, here we are again. Here we are back in the grips of a racially and politically charged tragedy. Has God failed us? Not hardly. You see, what I have failed to say until now is that the real picture of courage looks like a Savior hanging on a Roman cross. The failure has come most of all on the part of those who claim the name of Jesus. We have said we believe in a Prince of Peace and have courted contention. We have not done this over our stands on Scripture, but for the sake of our comfort. We say we want to share Jesus with the world, yet we skip the doors in the neighborhood where the people may not look like us. We say we want the power of God, but we really just want the power of men.
I refuse to believe that there are none left to answer the call. If you are a Christian, then I sincerely hope you have found yourself in agony in these past few days. Why? How would you feel if that was your family member gunned down? Well, guess what? If you are a follower of Christ, then it was. These brothers and sisters in Christ belong to me as much as my own sons and I am dismayed. However, I do not despair as those who have no hope. Those who are gone are not lost, because we know here to find them. We find them in the presence of God in Heaven. Why? Because they had courage enough to follow Christ. They followed Him to a Bible study, that ultimately meant their death.
People are now worried about being protected in church. I am all for being prepared. My greater concern is that we are courageous enough to continue to worship in spite of the fears of many. That we be bold and courageous in our witness for Christ no matter what the cost. Also, that we are courageous enough to forgive even the most heinous because we know how heinous our crimes against God were.
Join hands, stand strong, and take heart. God is on the throne. Knowing that, we can truly be courageous.
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