Beaten Black and Blue

Ever hear the Oldies song “The Wanderer?” The lyrics go, “I’m a wanderer, I’m a wanderer. I roam around around around…” For me, I’m a ponderer, and thoughts go around around and around in my head. And if they go around enough, I take it as a hint I should blog!

It is the Year 2020, I capitalize “year” because it will go down in history. The major events include a particularly polarizing election year, a coronavirus pandemic (COVID 19), and a wide spread Black Lives Matter movement that has sparked non-violent and violent protests with goals to usurp the police and the nuclear family.

In a typical election cycle the country divides itself Red and Blue. Anyone else forget which color is which? In 1976, NBC used red for Democrats taking a nod from England perhaps who also used Red for the more liberal party, and blue for the conservatives. They lit up the map red and blue while the votes rolled in for Carter and Ford respectively. In 2000, The New York Times (and USA Today) led the way of switching the colors, according to them because Republican and Red both start with’ R.’ Red has a history of being associated with revolution and change including Communism. But America is of course red, white, AND blue. So, we all hope that when the election is over, we can all remember that we are in this together. Sounds good in theory, but it seems to be happening less and less. Bad news sells better, and it seems the mainstream media (MSM) doesn’t go out of its way to report the good things going on in this country, especially when it comes to President Trump. So Republicans become tired and skeptical of the MSM and then when news that is important to our health come around there is little trust left.

The Devil divides. God unites. I remember learning this truth long ago. The division that has been created between Black Lives Matter and the police reeks of evil. The devil is using this to literally beat us black and blue. Black lives do matter, seems like most people can agree to that?! BUT sadly, Black Lives Matter is more than just a statement it is a group with an extreme agenda including defunding the police and enucleating the family. To enucleate the eye, is to completely remove the globe or eyeball. The BLM “vision” to destroy the nuclear family, sounds more like blindness to me than vision. But don’t take my word for it.

Here is a 14 min interview Raymond Arroyo did with Chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality Niger Innis that I found very helpful:

The 30 sec summary is that while many well-meaning people want to protest racism and police brutality the Black Lives Matter movement does not perhaps have the “family values” of most Americans. Here is a part of the BLM manifesto directly from their webpage:  

https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe

In light of this news, is it a good idea for the NBA to paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on courts in Orlando? Marcellus Wiley answers that question on the FOX Sports 1 June 30^th episode of “Speak for Yourself” in this MUST WATCH 3 min video segment.

Is there room for differing opinions?

The devil knows your name and calls you by your sin. Christ knows your sin and calls you by your name. The BLM movement has inspired many people to turn on each other calling others “racist.” Bullying people to act and agree or else you are labeled as “part of the problem.” I agree with the sentiments Raymond Arroyo explores through his journalism on The World Over.

Raymond Arroyo had another great interview (10 min) with Pastor and Attorney Marc Little:

 Is this a systemic/corporate sin or a personal sin? Either way, derogatory blanket statements telling people “what they are” will never solve problems. It just stirs up more hate. What is the answer to all this division? Subsidiarity and the Prayer of St. Francis. The people closest to a problem are the best people to solve the problem (subsidiarity). If your neighbor has a problem, YOU may be the one to help solve it! If your town has a problem, YOU may be called to help solve it! Your office, your household, you have a sphere of influence. My 10-year-old daughter told me she is not a leader. I told her she is, by her example. When the teacher wants the class to be quiet and get to work, when she is quiet and gets to work-she is a leader! Whether the problem is hunger, fatherlessness, racism, or pollution. You can be a leader too. I agree with Pastor Marc, we have to look at our hearts, but that doesn’t mean we are all going to see the sin of racism.

 The police officers I know have big hearts.  Hearts to serve the community, to help people on the worst day of their life, and to protect even when the cost is high. Blue lives matter. When I see how these riots have raged in anger and fire taking lives like David Dorn’s and so many businesses, I know the devil is having a heyday. Per Pastor Marc Little, the BLM reaction is akin to stubbing a toe and stabbing someone. He means not to minimize the death of George Floyd, but to give due attention to the unproductive havoc and many deaths these riots have produced. We can only wonder how much longer God will permit it.

Sink or swell? As a parent, there are many little moments that make your heart swell. To see your kids show love and affection to each other just makes your heart sing. When an older child reads to a younger one or they offer to help a sibling with a chore. It is so refreshing! And I feel like such a good mom! Now, the worst feeling is when you overhear your children being nasty to each other. Calling each other hurtful names, one overreacting to an accident with violence, the screaming and tears that surround what always boils down to selfish behavior by one or both parties. It makes your heart sink and sometimes your blood boil in frustration. If you’re not a parent you may see, but with my mother’s heart I can feel the pain in an allegorical sense that God feels seeing his children tear at each other the way we do. The near constant Us vs Them. It makes my heart heavy sometimes to be on social media and I learned long ago you cannot read the online comments- too much vitriol! I don’t think that was what Jesus meant when he said for us to be like children! Respect, if not love, must reign in all hearts! Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, ….all  the colors, red, blue, black, white, and rainbow.

The Prayer of St. Francis was prescribed to me as a daily companion recently by our priest for a week. So, I printed it off and the kids said it too. What a treasure to find again! Written in St. Francis’ spirit of peace (not division!) It is a prayer for humility among other admirable things! The last pondering going around and around in my head is about masks. Don’t let the masks divide us! It is not Us vs Them, “seek to understand” and remember we all have so much more in common than what separates us. We are all on the same team, part of the same human race.