One sunny Sunday afternoon a family went to have a picnic in the park. They set out the table cloth, sandwiches, and potato salad. Everyone had their favorite beverage. As they bowed their heads to give thanks little Lilly snuck a peek to see what everyone was doing. Mommy and daddy had their heads down, eyes closed in prayer. Her brother was fiddling about, anxious to dig into the baked beans. Then Lilly looked past her dad. On a park bench, not too far away, sat a disheveled, homeless man.
When the prayer had finished Lilly looked up at her father.
“Daddy, today in Church we heard Jesus tell us that we should feed the hungry,” Lilly said in an innocent voice.
“That we did,” Her father said with an inquisitive look.
“Well,” she continued, “that man over there looks hungry. Wouldn’t Jesus want us to love him enough to give him one of our sandwiches?”
Lilly’s father’s heart began to melt to think that a five year old not only listed in Church but wanted to do what the Gospel said. He was about to respond when a thought came to him. He sat for a moment and then began to shake his head.
“No pumpkin, taking that man a sandwich wouldn’t be the loving thing to do,” he said.
“It’s not?” Lilly asked.
“That isn’t love. That is kindness. The loving thing to do is to ask him to join us on our picnic. He needs our friendship more than he needs our food.”
Lilly and her father got up from the table and asked the man to join them for a meal.
Our world and especially out country is hurting badly right now. The horrific action of one man and the inaction of three others has plunged the entire country into anger filled chaos and violence. The death of George Floyd is indeed horrific, but then again every death is. It does not matter if that life is white, black, brown, red, or yellow. It does not matter if it is Christian, pagan, or atheist. It does not matter if straight, gay, or trans. And it does not matter if it is born or still in the womb. Every person is made in the image and likeness of God and all human life is sacred.
Every horrific crime committed against a human being has begun when the dignity of the individual is ignored and they are seen as something other than human. George Floyd was not seen as a man. He was seen as a color. He was seen as not having the same dignity as other men because of that color and because he was not the same he could be treated unjustly.
America, not just black America, has a duty and a responsibility to be angry with what happened to George Floyd. This country was founded on the belief that all men are created equal. We have yet to fully live up to that founding principle. Protests will not change anyone’s heart. Riots and violence only further set it to stone. What good is there in calling attention to a wrong if by the way you do so only makes people want to ignore you and tune you out?
We will never begin to end racism until we can restore that which has been lost, the dignity of the person. We live in a culture of death. We kill our children before they are given a chance to live. We lock up the troubled youth who know no other way but crime. We encourage euthanasia for our elderly when they are all used up so they do not become a burden. People are treated as trash and discarded.
Until the dignity of every person is recognized and restored we can never take steps to end hate. The first step to restoring dignity is to focus on the person and not the label. George Floyd was a man who was black. He was not a black. If he were treated with the dignity due every man he would no doubt be alive today. The police are not the enemy. Most are hardworking men and women who have sworn an oath to put your life before theirs. There are bad people in every group. That is just human nature.
When you look at another person what is the first thing you see? Do you see the color of their skin? Do you see the condition of their clothes? Do you focus on the physical attributes? We all should be seeking to see Jesus in that person first. Do I see the black, homeless man or do I see Jesus in need of ministering? Do I allow my heart to hate, my hand to extend kindness, or do I pour out love to him?
The choice is yours to make.