Acts 27 Part 2, Injustice and Mercy

As I read today, and honestly, most of this week, my mind and heart are in another place. I am still wrestling and processing all the protests, riots, and the injustice in our nation. The death of George Floyd weighs so heavily on me. My posture is listening and empathizing primarily, but with that in mind, it would be wrong, in my opinion, to just listen and empathize without a little speaking. Staying silent sends the wrong message, so let me be clear the horrific murder of George Floyd was wrong and tragic. Justice is required, and MLK said it best. 

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. - Martin Luther King, Jr

I can not pretend to understand to know what it is like to grow up in America as a black man or woman. The stories I hear and the realities that are exposed are heartbreaking to me. The data and numbers are tragic, seeing the oppression that is all around us, still! Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and I believe we must take this seriously and lean into this now. 

Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly. To personalize this, I am so proud of my daughters, who have a passion for justice, and mercy is a beautiful way. How they are responding and reacting to all of this brings joy to my broken heart. My girls, who are teenagers, have zero tolerance for racism, bigotry, or any suppression. It does not stop at race, it extends beyond, and they both offer a loving hand to those who might be on the fringe or considered outsiders. 

The feelings and deep emotion inside of me won't come through in these words that I type because I just have not been able to sort through them all and land on the way to express it. What I can say is this, when I look at my right forearm, I am reminded of Jesus and his words to us. 

“He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” - ‭‭Luke‬ ‭10:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Tattooed on my arm in a band design is Love God Love Others. Love others in on the inside of my forearm, and I see it just about every minute of every day... and this is on purpose. Below, hidden a bit in the design is a single dot that represents the one. When I am thinking about loving others, I like to remember this needs to be personal and brought down to the one. 

I do not have the right answers, and I imagine I am not even asking all the right questions. In these moments, I am walking humbly with a listening ear and a posture of love. 

What on earth does this have to do with Acts 27, part 2? Well, I am not sure. When I read this chapter, I read about 276 people on board a ship that is in a horrific storm; the mass majority of them feel hopeless and believe they are going to die. They go two weeks without food, and at every turn, their situation looks darker and direr. I read this, and with the context and posture of my heart, it makes me feel honestly a bit like the situation around us right now. We are on board a ship that is being beaten, cracking, taking on water, and the surrounding are dark and gloomy. 

The end of Acts 27 closes with a lot of drama. 

“The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:42-44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Death was imminent for the prisoners, but their lives were spared. In this historic moment, God’s mercy transcended, and everyone reached the land safely. We must not forget that before this, many many lives were taken and lost in the name of Jesus. At this moment, lives were spared, but that was not always the case. In our society today, we see lives lost, and oppression all around...not unlike the time's Paul was facing. Paul’s words of encouragement, acts of mercy, and humility inspire me. Paul pushed back when he needed it and did not rollover. I believe Paul would be at the center of protests and giving a voice to the injustice. While Paul was doing it, the thing Paul would do would be a representative of Jesus Christ and bring glory to His name. My prayer for us and the body of Christ is that we can listen with deep empathy and compassion, and speak in a way that brings the message of Jesus to these tragic times. 

Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.