Did We Learn?

Recently, my social media memories popped up with the following status from five years ago, fairly early on following the death of George Floyd and the ensuing riots.

"My heart has been so heavy mulling over the recent circumstances, particularly those in Minneapolis. Please hear me loud and clear that in no way do I condone that officer's actions and it is sickening that this situation ended the way that it did.

What also weighs really heavy on me is the assumptions on the motivations of the officer(s) in question which are running rampant right now, and that those assumptions tarnish the badge of the many honorable men and women of this profession. Regardless of his reasons, this officer was way out of line and wrong. However, the assumption that racism is the sole reasoning behind these high profile cases and that it runs rampant as a contagious plague across police departments and officers everywhere is also in error.

Without a doubt, this was an awful situation and a precious life was wrongly lost. Every single life matters, regardless of color of skin or line of work, and we should mourn these and other tragic circumstances. But it should also deeply grieve us that this great divide amongst us is ever widening. It should disturb us that these last several years have only polarized us further from one another. We immediately choose sides and refuse to listen to whatever reasoning those on the other end of things may have to offer. We miss the insight and wisdom of fellow men and women because we are so stuck on whatever preconceived notion we have about what has happened that we lose our objectivity.

The only way to make things better is if we come together and seek reconciliation and that the Lord would have His hand deep in this mess of our humanity. We have to be able to lay aside our feelings and seek out the truth. We need to be able to have hard conversations with those who find themselves on the opposite side of the opinion line. We need to come to the conversation equipped with compassion and empathy. We have to acknowledge that it's rarely as simple as things being black or white and that each case has a whole lot of complexities to it that those of use who don't get a seat in that courtroom aren't privy to.

May justice be served, to the fullest extent of the law, but may we also take a step back from these situations, breathe, and acknowledge that we neither know every detail of the situation, nor the motives of those involved, on either side, and we may never know those things. May we trust that God is sovereign and He sees the hearts of all involved, as well as our own. To be frank, I think the way these tragedies further tear us all apart instead of inspiring us to come together, probably hurts His heart. He is the only hope for this fallen world we're living in. And only He can bring about the true reconciliation, racial and otherwise, that needs to be happening in this country. What we're doing currently is not conducive to that cause.

I hope you hear my heart in this and know that all of this truly grieves me, especially because of the massive misunderstanding and the crazy amounts of misconceptions there are between the police and the public. We've been living this "blue line" life for several years now, and these situations definitely don't get any easier. But we have got to figure out ways to get the conversations flowing more freely and less accusatorially. We need to be able to acknowledge when officers have acted in the wrong, whilst also acknowledging that the actions of a few do not define the heart of the whole. We have to stop furthering the narrative that it's us against them and that some lives are worth more than others and that perceived racism is a great reason for going after the police with retaliation. I would love to have personal conversations with you (and I know my husband would too) about the different questions people have about police protocol or why an officer may have responded the way they did in a certain situation and whether or not that was right/wrong. Even if these kinds of conversations are hard to have, they need to be happening. This is how we come together. This is how we show love to one another...by listening. 

Love you all, and I am so sorry that these things ever happen at all to lead us to ever have to have these conversations, but please feel free to contact me personally if you do want to talk about it."

Many times, those social media memories crop up and I may find myself cringing at what five or fifteen years ago me was putting as my status. But that's not the case with this.

The tide may have turned somewhat. Things may have simmered down some. But this sentiment still stands strong.

Have I learned some things since then? Sure. For one, even the cases that look like they should be rather clean cut are always more complex than we want to give them credit for, including that notorious one. For another, mob justice doesn't mirror biblical justice. And when we allow the screaming masses, partial judges, and activists to sway whether someone in this country receives their right to a fair trial, we should really consider if we're doing it right.

I remember feeling so frustrated and afraid for those first few months following the death of George Floyd. Why was it that everyone was willing to condemn the supposedly "biased" actions of cops when they were dealing with citizens of a different complexion than them, yet somehow so many were simultaneously willing to condone anti-cop bias? People were actively applauding ambush style attacks on officers. The "fiery but mostly peaceful protests" produced hundreds, if not thousands of officer injuries, and a few dozen people died (apparently peacefully) because of the chaos that was wrought.

Biblically, bias, whether racial or otherwise, has a name...partiality. Don't get me wrong, we all have our preferences...I will probably always prefer the country over the city, and I definitely have my favorite genres of books, movies, and music. Where our biases go wrong, is when they cause us to sin against one another by going against what God has demonstrated to be just. It's when we are willing to turn a blind eye to the problems on "our side", while willfully magnifying the problems on the other.

In the midst of that scary summer, I told someone the following: "The problem is that everyone wants to think of themselves as if they were the victim in these stories. Nobody wants to view themselves as the person with their knee on somebody's neck." Because truly, humans are capable of some pretty horrific stuff, regardless of their skin color or career choice. It is but for the grace of God that we aren't doing the same damn thing.

I have contemplated this thought several times since then. The quote "There but for the grace of God go I" has been attributed to multiple Christians throughout history, from John Bradford to St. Francis of Assissi. But at lot of the time, sources say the phrase was uttered at the sight of someone condemned to death being led to their execution. Perhaps a more fitting translation for the dullards of modernity would be, "Whew, thank God...that could have been me!"

So often, we look upon those who stand condemned with contempt and disdain, when in actuality, if not for the work of Jesus in our lives, we, too, would stand condemned to death because of our sins.  

I am reminded of the story of the woman caught in adultery, who was brought before Jesus by the scribes and the Pharisees.  (As an aside, we know not where the man who surely was caught adulterating with her was or why he wasn’t brought out in front of the crowd for a scathing rebuke or stoning.)  Jesus ended up rebuking the accusers rather than the accused, saying, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”  After He wrote on the ground, the crowd dispersed and Jesus asked her, “Has no one condemned you?”, to which she replied, “no”.  So He sent her on her way, saying, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on, sin no more.”

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

…Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they?

Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.”

And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” 

John 8:7-11

This passage should humble us deeply.  None of us are without sin.  So why should we be so determined to condemn?  

The truth is, if someone asks the right question(s) that hone in on our specific sin, we too will stand condemned. If you were called out in front of a crowd in such a circumstance, there would be something in your life you'd have to answer for. Maybe they'd have to dig a little deeper in their interrogation because it isn't something super blatantly apparent. But I assure you, you still have sin there, somewhere, because we all have flaws, and as Romans 3:10 reminds us, “None is righteous, no, not one.” We've all sinned. We all fall short.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 

Romans 3:23

It may not be your knee on someone's neck, but there is certainly something sinful within each of us.  Thank God for His grace through which He brings about our redemption.  Isaiah 64:5 reminds us that our own righteousness is as filthy rags.  Anything that’s really, truly righteous in us is not of our own doing, but originated in Him working mercifully within us.  1 Corinthians 1:31 declares, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 

We have nothing to brag about. We don’t even have a leg to stand on folks, but for the grace of our God.  The praise is to be His and His alone.  Who are we to lay claim to it?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9

Yet somehow (unsurprisingly) throughout that riotous summer and beyond, many did boast, proudly proclaiming sides and throwing stones, both literally and figuratively.  It’s still unclear to me how people with such massive logs protruding from their eyes could claim to see the George Floyd situation (or any other situation, for that matter) clearly.  

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce

you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not

notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother,

‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,

and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” 

Matthew 7:1-5

Probably as disturbing as the hostility against officers was the idolization of George Floyd. Memorials and protest movements sprung up around the world to honor him. Social media was plagued by black squares to signify mourning. People across the globe became incredibly emotionally invested in the outcome of this case. Around America, cities burned. Politicians bailed criminals out of jail. The list goes on.

And thus, a cultural idol was born. For all the complexities brought to the case by the officers involved, George Floyd had baggage aplenty in tow, and if you dared make mention of it, you would fall out of the good graces of the society that had claimed him as their hero. You would become the ostracized villain for noticing that the man was not praiseworthy. How dare you?!

This charade may have started as a collective concern of well-meaning citizens, but it continued into the court room and transformed the trial into a spectacle that fell far short of any standard resembling fairness or justice.* Those who supposedly decried one injustice on the streets seemed intent on bringing about another by bombarding the court with a bunch of bologna. Whether you believe the outcome was or was not the right one, the courtroom was an absolute circus show of "social justice" rubbish.  The judge and some jury members were said to have bragged about how prejudicial they were.  Evidence that potentially could have exonerated the defendants was denied.  Rioters would have continued their hellish reign had the outcome not went their way.  Everyone involved probably knew that if they didn’t cast their stones at the officers on trial, they themselves would be stoned.

I'm speaking figuratively, but let's face it...literally being killed wasn't entirely out of the question, as the riots had clearly demonstrated during the nearly year of time that had elapsed since George Floyd's death leading up to the trial. Many lives had already been sacrificed on the altar of social justice.

Somehow, the movement meant to seek justice for a supposed act of injustice was itself incredibly unjust. But I guess that's to be expected. True justice can’t be sufficiently served when social justice is running rampant.  Social justice, by its very design, is based on bias.  (True, biblical) Justice needs no descriptor.  

No, we’ll never see pure and perfect justice as long as we live in this worldly system, which sways with the societal winds.  There will be more witch hunts.  There will be more trials gone wrong that society says are a success of social justice “at its finest.” The masses will continue to make much of the ill-conceived notion that retaliatory injustice will somehow remedy their perceived injustices.

Spoiler alert...it won't.

I’d like to think that we’ve learned since then.  The tide of anti-cop bias has certainly simmered down some, if not turned back towards favorability.  But all it takes is an out-of-context video snippet shared on social media to cause the mud-slinging, stone-throwing, city-burning, planked-eye jousting to begin again.  

Yuck.

Thank God we have something better to look forward to...His perfect justice and His perfect peace. Until then, let’s not get swept up into the societal mess of a screamfest.  When these heart wrenching situations happen (and happen they will, in this fallen world), rather than just imagining yourself or your loved one as being on the “victim” end of the story, put yourself in the perpetrator’s shoes.  Is there more to the story?

There usually is.  And if you or your loved one were in the situation, would you desire that due diligence be done in seeking impartial and unbiased justice? I sure would.

But even then, in this day and age, that may not be enough to keep from being condemned, whether or not it's deserved.  That perverted sense of justice is a shortcoming of this world and a symptom of the Fall.  But someday it won’t be.  We’ll appear before the throne of judgment and have to answer for the wrong we’ve wrought while in this world.  Every knee will bow.  Every tongue will confess Christ’s lordship.  

That includes George Floyd.  And Derek Chauvin.  And the other officers from the incident who stood condemned.  

There but for the grace of God go we.  

“If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

Thankfully, we don’t have to wait til Heaven to begin to walk out repentance and to be cleansed of unrighteousness.  We can confess our sins to Christ and we can be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  We can do what the Lord declares as good in Micah 6:8, to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.  We can take the planks out of our eyes and start to see things more clearly by doing so.    

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God,

for he will abundantly pardon.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  

Isaiah 55:6-9

And before getting involved in the next societal firestorm, we can look back on what we’ve learned, seek the Lord, and acknowledge that His ways truly are higher than ours.  While we may not see it in this life, He will handle it.  Because His justice is not imperfect, nor impure like ours is.  He does not condemn those who are in Him. Indeed, He set us free from the fleshly rule brought on by the Fall. Let's live as such, by His Spirit, in submittance to His law.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.

By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,

he condemned sin in the flesh,  in order that the righteous requirement of the law

might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh,

but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law;

indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not

in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not

have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.  But if Christ is in you, although

the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  If the Spirit of Him

who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead

will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."

Romans 8:1-9

A George Floyd memorial mural in Toledo, Ohio, which was struck by lightning and destroyed.

*I strongly suggest that if you haven't done so, you watch the documentary The Fall of Minneapolis,

as it discusses the corruption that ran through this situation from the start.