Last week I was numb from the news—two incidences where
black men were stopped for traffic violations and ended up shot dead at the
hands of police officers, and then the horrific attack during the protest in
Dallas targeting white police officers in retaliation. The events have since sparked
a fervor of opinions, emotion, and actions from everyone, whether you have a
political or social hat in the ring or not. The climate of the country is
clearly leaning toward, “enough is enough.”
But something else spoke to me in regards to that week—something
prompting me to look beyond the impulse reactions of anger and political blame.
Is there more to see here?
I guess I always have one foot in the Doorway—and in this
case, my orb is reflecting a glowing light, alerting me to think again, to rise
above, and to see more clearly. And so this post is a reflection of my thoughts
tying the Dallas Police to the Doorway back to Forever. This connection is
where we begin to heal.
Go with me for a moment with this—put aside politics, blame,
social justice, and retaliation. Those are the first reactions we feel when tragedy
ensues. First reactions draw attention to the wound, but they don’t offer
healing.
Take a deep breath. Now, look at what else happened in Dallas
the night of the shooting—heroism. It took several days for the reports to come
out, but in two separate instances at least, protesters came forward to testify
of experiences which had the effect of softening their hearts toward the very
people they were protesting against, the police.
One black woman testified how she had been shot in the leg
during the carnage, and white police officers had surrounded her to protect her
and her son. She had witnessed two officers get shot. She testified how their acts
of heroism saved her and her son—heroism at a time when these heroes were in
fact the targets of the shooter.
Another black man commented how he had been at the end of
the line in the protest march, purposefully walking slowly to taunt the
officers. When the shots rang out, the officers quickly surrounded him and
pulled him from the chaotic scene. His life had changed that day, having
witnessed how the very people he hated had used themselves as human shields to
save him, despite the fact that they were the ones being targeted.
In other protests, blacks have been seen standing in front of
the police to protect them from harm. Here we have a breathtaking example of
people willing to lay down their lives to protect the officers—true heroes
indeed.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his
life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
There was also video footage of a Black Lives Matters
protest and a counter protest of whites coming together hugging, praying, and
inviting the police officers to pray with them. These are the examples we must
certainly revere, for they speak to who we are as individuals—sons and
daughters of one race, the human race.
“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another
as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
While some high-profile figures in the news continue to
bring up past grievances that had once divided this nation, and while others spout
off rhetoric designed to further divide us still, we need to recognize the
poison it represents and say, “Enough is enough.” We can then look beyond the Doorway
to see more—how individuals rise above hate and embrace each other with love. Example
of self-sacrifice and heroism are virtues that flow in abundance beyond the
Doorway. It is my hope that more people will explore the Kingdom of Forever to
remember these values again, to bring them home, and to share them more
abundantly, one moment at a time.
