The story of the Bible: A beautiful beginning full of hope and joy was marred by a “virus” – SIN. That sin in a perfect world brought on destruction, decay and death. It became systemic in that it affected the entire system – including plants, animals, and soil, so that everything was corrupted. Enter God who sent a Savior who took the punishment for the sin that there might be a restoration of peace and goodwill in the world and in time bringing forth an earthly life full of joy, peace and love (eternity, Revelation 21-22).
Go, God!
Now, God reports that He has put eternity in the heart of every man, Ecclesiastes 3:11. Therefore, all men have an innate desire for peace, joy, love, beauty and worth. When such things are lacking, there comes finger pointing and worldly attempts to “fix” the lack.
Such is not lost on the current state of life in the United States today. What did mark us – love, joy, peace, beauty, and worth (a protector of the oppressed [Philippians or Kuwait] and a haven of rest of the immigrant [“Give me your tire, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”]) – has escaped us and we are desperate for a fix. And from God’s way, it is understood that a fix takes a savior.
So, Moses rose up to lead the Israelites out of their “night”. God raised up judge after judge to answer the cries of people wanting a fulfilling life. And God Himself, in Jesus, came to show and sacrifice in order to restore the longing of the broken heart.
Now it seems that the Federal government of the United States has deemed itself a god and thus its duty to answer the cry of her citizens for a restoration to good-will and goodness. In order to get there, a systemic problem must no longer be ignored but tackled head-on – that of racism. Because insufficient progress has been made (so say some), a more aggressive approach must be sought. Per the story of Jonah, the core cause must be eliminated – even sacrificed – in order to move forward toward “utopia”. And that sacrifice apparently is the white male – the cause of systemic racism that has oppressed and broken the country. Once the sacrifice is made, the nation can expect an end to racism and a new order, a new nation full of joy, peace and hope.
If only it were all true!
What we know is that we experienced some level of love, joy, peace, beauty and worth in past days because we were a nation “under God” and “in God” we did trust. The honest truth is that we were not perfect and there was racism and we knew it and were addressing it and made great strides. After all, from no blacks at the lunch counter or riding in the front of the bus to blacks as President, on the Supreme Court, starring in Hollywood and on the hardwood, to working beside whites in the workforce – great strides have been made. But because of a few radical racists being publicly evil, there is a danger that all that progress might be thrown out and with that any hope of a unified country in the future.
Lord, gives us wisdom, rescue, mercy and grace. Without You we can do nothing!
PS – The word is that Uncle Sam now identifies just as Sam. That white male thing has to be eliminated!
a PK Musing 
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