You Hurt Me, So I'll Hurt You - Is Never the Answer

My heart breaks over the division in America. So much hatred, bitterness, and pain. So needless.

I hate injustice as much as the next person, but violence isn’t the answer. Love is. Empathy is. Understanding IS.

Blacks. Whites. Muslims. Africans. Indians. We are all humans. All flawed people.

There will be bad and good amongst all of us. Bad police officers. Good police officers. Just as there are bad teachers and good teachers. Bad parents and great parents.

You can’t judge a whole race or profession, based on the actions of one – or a few. Yes, it will flavor everything about them. But we need to judge each person, based on THAT person’s actions.

My friend Lisa Whittle mentioned in a facebook post that the church has “stopped weeping.” She is so right. We have stopped crying over what’s wrong. We have grown cold and turned our faces away from what is immoral, unjust, and unkind. And when you stop weeping with those who weep, you stop feeling.  You enter into a zone of indifference.

Causing pain to another family, because you have been wronged, is never the answer. It only adds to the pain and hurt of everyone as a whole. And it becomes a domino effect. You hurt me – so I’ll hurt you.

How about – you hurt someone, so I’ll teach you to love? I’ll teach you, you matter? I’ll teach you, that not everyone is like that?

How about…can I pray for you?

We need to get down on our knees, and pray for our country. Pray for our world. We need to pray that hearts will crack, and people will start feeling again. We need to unite as people – and realize that we ALL feel. We ALL hurt.  Yes, there are those amongst us who act out and do wrong. It’s unfair. But we can’t continue the cycle. We must break it. WE.

We can’t leave it up to someone else to be the change. WE must be the change. WE must teach our children to empathize with those who don’t look like us, or act like us.

Excusing bad behavior is not the answer. But becoming like what we say we despise, isn’t either.

Life is not fair. It never will be. It’s life. We can’t demand things for ourselves, just because someone else gets something.

If someone does something wrong – yes – they need to face disciplinary consequences. That goes for a police officer, a criminal, or a public figure. No one should be immune or above the law. But just as a little child can often teach an adult how to forgive, accept, and love – WE the people may be the ones needed to teach those in authority how to love, heal, and encourage one another; instead of tearing and breaking down more people and families.

“Our hearts are at war,” says Lisa Whittle. And it’s time for us to bridge the gap. 

Otherwise there will just be more hurt and pain.

Lord, forgive us. Heal us.

Have mercy on our souls.