With Blood On Our Hands

35‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40“The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that youdid it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25: 35 - 40 KJV

I couldn't escape all of the talking heads this week in the aftermath of the terrible shootings in California, Texas and Ohio.  Predictably, our self righteous media and most politicians, looking to score points with voters, renewed the call for stricter gun control laws.  As if that ever worked.  It never fails that after one of these events that so many people ignore what is at the heart of this issue and place the blame at the feet of a inanimate object.  When was the last time you ever saw a gun shoot itself?  I'm still waiting for that to happen.  A firearm will never hold a grudge, be filled with hate or judge someone.  That's not how this world works.  How the world DOES work is far too obvious.  There are far too many of our neighbors out there who are hurting enough inside of themselves to do harm to others.  I'm no expert in psychology, but I do know that there have been times where I have hurt enough to do harm to another person.  I'm human, it's what I do.  Not only am I created in the image of my heavenly Father, I all too often allow my flesh to overcome what I know to be right in my own eyes.  This, in a nutshell, is what is at the heart of this issue.  With each and every killing our nation endures, we become numb to the root cause of the issue.  In a way, we've become indifferent to how much we ourselves actually contribute to these events.  I heard a Washington state county sheriff describe this issue best.  At the end of the day, it is we as a society that have changed, and not for the better.  We contribute to a society which glorifies violence and the mistreatment of others but then become indignant when our neighbors act out these very same behaviors we celebrate?  Tell me how that's working out for you.  Don't get me wrong, it's not the violent video games and movies that are the root cause of this issue.  These are but the symptoms of the disease we're facing.  No, the blame for this scourge lies at our own doorsteps.  We are the ones with blood on our hands.

“It (trying to keep the law) grants you the power to judge others and feel superior to them. You believe you are living to a higher standard than those you judge. Enforcing rules, especially in its more subtle expressions like responsibility and expectation, is a vain attempt to create certainty out of uncertainty. And contrary to what you might think, I have a great fondness for uncertainty. Rules cannot bring freedom; they only have the power to accuse.”
― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack

I know a man who faced a heart wrenching decision.  He knew a freind who was abusive to his wife and family, and yet he kept quiet out of loyalty to his friend.  When the morning came where his friends family had endured the abuse for the last time, his friend threatened harm to his wife.  Now, we've all seen those public information posters around town that scream "If you see something, say something."  I'm here to tell you, that doesn't always work in the real world.  For whatever reason, we may decide that speaking out against another person might in some way be a bad thing.  I've been there.  What I learned from my experience is that it is never wrong to bring darkness into the light.  It should never be considered wrong to show another person that there is another way.  What I find interesting is that in the wake of these events, our christian leaders have been shamefully silent.  It is in these times when our faith is tested that it is often needed the most.  Faith on God, faith in healing, faith in a better way.  I would love for a well known pulpit pounder to have the guts to come out and proclaim that out of the nations pain there is also abundant love and forgiveenss in Christ.  Yeah, I'm sure they might proclaim this in their obligatory sunday sermons, but can you imagine the impact it would have if this word were spread far and wide.  At the heart at each of these tragedies is the pain of one who feels there is no other way.  No, there is another way.  There is one who, despite our best efforts to dirty ourselves, will always love us for who we are.  His love is unconditional and His grace abounds.  It is Christ Jesus who gave His life to wash the blood from our hands.  There is freedom in our acceptance of that gift.

~Scott~