Color Blind: Will the Violence Ever Stop?
In continuing to see the depravity amidst this world and the devaluing of the human life, I cannot help but have faith that my Lord is still on His throne seeking to call those who are ensnared by evil to Himself through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The June 17, 2015 shootings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church were heart-wrenching as, again, we see the loss of life due to evil that permeates the hearts and actions of humanity.
The truth is that the nine who lost their lives leave a testimony of God’s conviction as they were attending a prayer meeting.
So how do we make sense of this?
A few questions come to mind:
- Were they praying for this young man who came to the meeting and sat next to the pastor for at least an hour before the massacre?
- What motivates a person to do such a thing?
- What can we as a society learn from this?
The morning of June 18, 2015, it was released that the gunman was apprehended. The process of healing can begin knowing that the authorities captured him, yet it saddens me once again to see the depravity that ensnares our society.
The biggest thing that rocked me was the words of the gunman:
’I have to do it,’ the gunman was quoted as saying. ‘You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.’
We have heard this type of rhetoric before; it screams of supremacist brainwashing. Again, where anger could become us, we must hold on to Jesus’ words:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself”(Matthew 22:37-39).
We can never give up hope! We need to continue to pray for this Charleston community, including the young man who perpetuated these actions, for unless we rise up and pray for each other, we fall in the destruction of our neighbor.
We all have to ask ourselves the question, “How do I see my neighbor?”
For further reading, take a look at André Mooney’s past post, Color Blind.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
