Can You?

If you’re like me, you’ve been hearing and reading the myriad articles, blogs, ads, movements, etc., flooding the airwaves and internet in response to the civil unrest taking place throughout the world. The collective emotional reflex after the wrongful death of American, George Floyd.

My heart grieves even just reading back that last sentence.

Each of these articles I read seem to weigh in on the “why” Mr. Floyd and others like him have been targeted and unjustly treated or even killed. Currently, and throughout history.

As I read these, I find that I just can’t make my heart understand why anyone, any human being, would ever think the color of your skin would make you less or more human, or less or more worthy of basic human rights.

Can you?

I just can’t fathom the “why.” Who in the world was it that had the first miserable idea that anyone of a different race or skin color was less human and therefore worthy of being enslaved? Indeed, even treated as an animal? Who was this person, and where did they come from? And what in the world made them think up these cruel and inhumane ideas? And dear Lord, who was the first miserably unfortunate soul to be inhumanely captured and cruelly enslaved?

My mind plays these questions over and over, still not able to grasp the cause that gives reason to ask them.

How can one human ever think there is justifiable reason to enslave and abuse another human?

In searching all that I am, all that is in my heart, I cannot find an answer to that question.

Can you?

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19