So, we think it was about three millennia ago (about 300 decades or 150 generations) that that book of the Bible called Proverbs was begun to be compiled.  A  lot of folks have been given valuable food for thought from these writings over a very long time. So we continue to deal with problems of brokenness and while there are plenty of good ideas for avoiding brokenness in Proverbs, we humans have a pretty poor track record of applying wisdom. So it is a good thing I think that we have the opportunity to review the abiding wisdom of Proverbs.

Proverbs 21:15:  Acting justly is a joy to the righteous, but dreaded by those who do evil.  (CEB)

I suppose most of us would prefer a system where those who do evil would immediately get a "go to jail, do not collect $200" kind of experience. But life is so much more complex than that. Any contact with the legal system provides instant enlightenment on the inequities between people with resources (money, jobs, education, families willing and able to help) and those with less or without. In short, we have hard data to show that being poor makes it harder to have positive outcomes when accused of criminal behavior. In my home county it was determined that people who were charged with DUI spent more days in jail than people charged with DUI manslaughter. There are many issues bleeding into those numbers, but based on study into research one of the most likely causes is that DUI manslaughter is scarier so families are more likely to pay for a lawyer faster, no matter the cost. Lack of access to justice is at least as problematic for victims of crime who have no personal representation in criminal courts. (The "victim" has morphed into the amorphous "we" of society being wronged, further distancing victims of crime from individual restoration of financial losses, or apologies, or more individual compensation--say, having the offending teen help do yard work for the person whose house was vandalized or having fines paid contribute to restore financial loss). 

This is an even more complex problem in these times of growing domestic abuse, sexual abuse (growing in step with increasing access to pornography's exploitation of minors and normalization of violence), elder abuse (as grown children so often live at a distance to parents which makes it difficult to evaluate changes in health and acuity), financial abuse (as financial, tax and investment options grow more complex and interconnected, and scammers proliferate targeting those with financial need awash in poor financial literacy). The more complex life and information grow the more room for evil, greed and fear to flourish.

So I especially appreciate my experience in acting justify. Proverbs says to act justly is to have joy. I try to avoid wicked behavior but this is more than not behaving badly; this is acting proactively in support of justice.  And that first part, that to act justly is to have joy, that is so, well JOYOUS!  It is not always comfortable or easy or popular, but oh the joy.

If you are considering how you might ACT justly, have I got people for you to talk to! As we ponder during this time of COVID and as we revisit what we want to be societal norms, how we wish to go forward, what we wish to commit and risk for the remaining days of our lives, I promise you that an investment in justice is indeed a thing of joy (also frustrating, heart breaking and all but overwhelming, of course) and wholly worth whatever time, money, energy, prayer, advising, and encouraging you wish to invest. 

No matter your situation or resources, there is plenty of opportunity be proactive, to ACT justly. ​Message me and let's talk.

Abba, Father, Pappa, I have sinned against your child.

I have been unwilling to look with a compassionate heart at the pain of my brothers and sisters. I have convinced myself that it is "not my business" when someone is harassed, abused, mistreated, or demeaned in my home, church, community, job, school, et al. I have balanced my own sense of safety with the wounding of others just like the pharisees, the crowd and Pilot crucifying Your Son.

Lord have mercy.

I have been unaware of the marginalizing behaviors around me and so have been guilty of them myself.

I have assumed that all people have the same resources I have to make changes in their lives--the same backing of family, access to education, supportive friends of faith and conscience, the earning capacity, the health, the knowledge, that all too uncommon "sense" to anticipate consequences and the ability to control impulses, the expectation of fairness in job, legal system, community, school.

Lord, give me eyes to see and ears to hear. 

Lord, I try to see you in each face, but my own brokenness too often leaves me offering "remedies" from my own limited experience that frequently cause more pain because they are rightly perceived as arrogant and lacking understanding.

Lord, break my heart that I might humbly offer to travel along side, and listen, listen, listen to the suffering (only making suggestions from my experience, hope and faith and only as God calls) that together we might  be effective vessels pouring God's healing over families and communities.

Stir churches to compassionate and wise action. Let church members and leaders be tender to those in their pews that are suffering but do not feel safe even asking for prayers. Pour out healing and courage to those whose experiences can inform ministry. Let those with wisdom be filled with Your Spirit that their faith, hope and experience might inform how churches respond to the need for legal reforms and new ways to live justly.

Inspire all employers (private, public, governmental or social service) to fearlessly offer education and mentoring to any persons who want to be all you created them to be without fear for what "I" might "lose".

Open doors for healing of all who are feeling bound in dangerous situations, whether in families or jobs or communities. Wrap them in Your Love that, feeling Your hope and beginning to see themselves as You see them -- precious, with purpose and a future -- they grow in courage to seek carefully the resources You provide, the doors that You are opening for them.

Bless those whose employment and volunteer work seek to alleviate suffering and give them courage and compassion to be wise and speak wisdom and justice when organizational or individual actions are unwise or even cruel, whether by design or ignorance.

Lord give me Your Words, so my own do not cause unnecessary pain. 

Everywhere I look, as my vision improves, I see people who desperately need to understand their own value, the value You place upon them, the worth Christ has proclaimed in his death. 

How wounding is worldly valuation, where we are judged by "success", wealth, education, friends, and countless other resources that are an accident of birth as much as personal endeavor!

AlI this is painful, Lord, and leaves me wanting to hide where my feelings are less disturbed, my awareness of the exceptional resources I have make me less uncomfortable.

Lord, give me Your love that I might be Your hands and feet.

Give me gentle wisdom to love, love, love (because help with judgement and disdain is demeaning and wounding), to help mostly by listening (and not mistaking even my "righteous indignation" for Your voice) and being willing to endure with, to walk with those who are fearful, lonely, in danger, making choices that seem unwise to me. Let me encourage but only gently -- as You guide. Protect others from my errors, fear and desperation, lest I cause more pain.

Protect my efforts to advocate for change that I be tender, offering love, listening especially to those that challenge my tolerance so that my voice might not discourage others from changing long-held positions that You might be calling them to reconsider in light of increasing understanding. 

Lord, thank You that, no matter how the World sees us, you see us in truth: each of us broken and beloved; capable of great evil, yet created for good; in need of healing, yet created for purpose; lost but found by you our God who never stops seeking us, working for our highest good even when we struggle against You in our willfulness. You are an awesome God. Thank you. AMEN

I'm always interested to read how different people have translated scripture because it reveals the interpretation that thousands of Bible scholars over the centuries have considered. I feel some have done a better job than others, but since I don't read Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek or Latin, I'm limited to looking at more recent translations. Footnotes are particularly interesting.

This morning I was looking at one of my favorite verses as I prepare for a small group discussion/study on how we care ACT in ways that promote justice (check back for tomorrow's blog on that topic) and one translation included a footnote indicating some scholars translate a portion of the verse to read "walk humbly with your God" and others might translate it "walk prudently with your God".
​
I would so love to have a discussion with one of scholars who recommended this footnote because it sounds like an American politician (I'm not sufficiently familiar with other kinds to say "uniquely American") who wants to hedge against hard truths.  

Dictionary.com defines prudent as "acting with or showing care and thought for the future." You see, I do not believe God expects us to be prudent in this sense. Oh, God certainly calls us to not be foolish. But God also makes it clear that we are creatures of the moment because as we exist at this time in this place in eternity our time here is nearly infatestimal.  Even if the most modest ideas that we have been here for around 10,000 years is used our 70 or 80 or 90 years is a blink of an eternal eye and estimates the earth has been around between 4-5 billion years (according to National Geographic) and humans between 4 and 55 million years (various by source) make it even more striking that human life expectancy leaves us with a VERY narrow margin for making much of a difference in the larger picture. This means that what we DO with each moment has great weight.

This future orientation does not to me seem at all what God tells us to be.  God says we are here with God's intent, created with purpose and what we do and who we are matters. So I believe that what we do, for good or evil, matters, often in ways we can't begin to understand on our own.  Because of this I am personally as 'ALL IN" as I know how to be. I can't see the future and the older I get the more I understand the treacherous nature of acting as though I can. 

As one son graduated from college and announced he was going to teach in South America, I remember commenting that the fastest growing Spanish speaking population was one state over in Iowa. I could see all the problems with his delaying his "adult life of work and marriage and children" because he was indulging his fascination with travel.  It did not help that while I have enjoyed traveling when life took me in that direction I have never experienced a longing to travel. And the thought of him finding a wife and building a family on another continent was just depressing. But now, a couple of decades later, I can only say God had a much better plan than I did.  He still lives on another continent but God has such better plans for him that I could have ever conceived. His life blesses his family (Thank you God for the WhatsApp app) from afar and also blesses his amazing family (including his wife who he met while working in Asia and two amazing children born in South America) and his students and their families, colleagues and neighbors in South America. I am so grateful he humbly heeded God's call (in part revealed by his inborn need for travel) and ignored my limited human view of "prudent."

See, this is why I read lots of translations! It refines my thinking, opens my heart to new ideas from God and directs my thoughts to all with which I am abundantly blessed to the degree I am humble, remembering that God has plans that are infinitely better than my own.
​

Followers of Christ have a resource called the Bible.  It has been translated into many languages and within languages many times by diverse people from many backgrounds.  To be frank, folks in churches often spend far too much time arguing and judging folks over what different passages mean and that is a wicked waste of time and always sets off my truth-o-meter because a very wise Pastor once reminded me that God is big enough to defend truth without my help.  Oh, I am not being disrespectful of people who humbly and prayerfully seek guidance in Scripture. But I am exceedingly frustrated by those who bonk someone over the head with Scripture to try and get their own way.

But a book does not endure the way the Bible has because it is shallow or meaningless. So I am always interested in what I can find by checking out the Bible.

Today, when I began to consider the issue of privilege I wondered what this thing we believe to be God's Word might offer to the discussion. I ran across this in the 22nd chapter of Jeremiah 22:  Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. And it seems to me that this informs the discussion in this way: All the people for whom God is advocating (resident aliens, the fatherless, widows and the innocent) are all people generally agreed to have less power, less "clout" than folks who are here call "oppressors".  

The sad truth is that oppressors come in lots of shapes and sizes, colors, genders, lands, et al and sometimes they become oppressors BECAUSE they have themselves been oppressed. They do not get a free ride because of their back story, of course. But having had my own teenage experience with a bully, it took me decades to realize that the behavior probably came (as does most bad stuff) from fear. And I was extraordinarily blessed to have had wise counsel and great love that encouraged me to take that experience to grow compassion and faith rather than rage. To understand that is truly humbling since as a person with very little personal power that grace was obviously a gift.  For folks whose oppression experiences are great and long term I can appreciate something of how hard it is to break out of the cycle of abuse and fear.

I suspect that we are all bullied at times because there is much evil and always someone bigger, with more money or political pull or who is more plausible. Our legal system is a hot mess, but no system run by human beings is ever anywhere near perfect. So why, oh why, are we so slow to see the vulnerability in others? Why do we buy the giant lie that fear provides protection? (Caution and moving gently with maximum wisdom is strongly recommended, but fear breads impetuousness, carelessness, ruthlessness, despair, rage and panic -- none of which bodes well for the actions they drive.) Yet, since we estimate the book of Jeremiah was written more than 2500 years ago, it is clear that this is not a new problem.

And for those of you who would say to me, oh but things are so much better, I would suggest some reading into the numbers of people including in our communities who are suffering as slaves, the number of people whose experiences in their own homes wound them deeply, often for a lifetime; the ravages of pornography and addiction and how it is affecting both slavery and domestic abuse, just to name a few ways bullying is rampant in our society.

So here is how I currently view privilege.  God calls on me to do what I can wherever He opens my eyes to injustice.  For starters I have to search my own heart for places where fear breads contempt for those with less power than I have and be willing to embrace both compassion and the call to take action where I find injustice.
​
Of course, this is hard! It might result in being embarrassed! It might mean my effort to do the right thing gets scrambled in my own human brokenness – even making someone I’m trying to help angry. So be it -- because I can learn from that. But being complaisant because my sense of safety is not being rattle at a given moment is just not an adequate reason to ignore the pain of others.

We need all hands on deck here folks. We need to risk being uncomfortable in the quest to learn more, grow more, invest more in helping others understand how deeply they are loved, how important, how valuable, how urgently needed they are in this life God is calling us to create in the midst of a broken world.

Between the time of COVID and the land of protests morphed into riots it is normal to long for "getting back to normal." But I am praying fervently that we do NOT return to what was. I'm in favor of more people washing their hands after using the bathroom. I'm in favor or people being more aware of the need to share what we have with those who have less, especially when they are doing essential work. And I am certainly in favor of a dialog and a call for all hands on deck in repairing a broken legal system that is far more horrifying than one death, even such a horrifying one.

Because the truth is that as a nation we have not been discussing with horror the people detained and working in jails and prisons that are overcrowded by legal malfeasance...wrongful convictions get the headlines, but those abused by the legal system into accepting plea bargains that leave them permanently wounded financially and their deeply wounded families is not a new story. The coverage of prison condituions during the time of COVID is barely a footnote, although they represent significant numbers. (At one point more than 20% of cases in Ohio were in prisons. And before you get snarky about people "getting what they deserve" remember that those who YOU expect to work in these facilities live in your communities and shop at your pharmacy and grocery store, so be careful about the consequences of your inhumanity.)

We are so busy misusing resources on over-incarceration there is no money left to adequately address the domestic violence epidemic that can dump our children in a struggling foster care system but absolutely leaves them easy pickin's for human traffickers. (Should you have any confusion on this, a minor CAN NOT consent to sex, a detained person CAN NOT consent to sex, an impaired person CAN NOT consent to sex. Pass it on!!!)

Below is a prayer we have been using the past two years as we seek to nourish more just legal systems.

Please pray it today. Let today be the day you ask God to open your heart to ways you can ACT to offer healing and hope to the brokenhearted...and that is all of us.

Prayers for Justice and Legal Reforms
 
​Everything starts with prayer. Today we pray for Your Mercy Lord, that we might find our way to a more just legal system. The current situation is causing so much pain, leading to what seem to be never ending problems with brokenness upon brokenness. So we know that with problems this big we need You. We need You to draw us to a more God-pleasing, Christ-like system of dealing with the injustices of this broken world.
 
Lord, direct our prayers.
 
Romans 12:12—Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
 
Be merciful, Lord, to all of us affected by crime, from the victims of crime to those who commit crimes, but also the first responders who come when we are fearful, and all those along the journey through the legal system: judges and juries, prosecutors and defense attorneys, social workers, health care workers, foster care folks, and eventually detention officers and probation and​​ parole staff​, classroom teachers​ and the family, friends, co-workers, church family, neighbors and acquaintances of all these because all are part of the ever expanding circles of damage caused by crime.
 
Lord, hear our prayers.
 
James 1:12—Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 
 
We have all been wounded by crime, Lord. We are fearful, Lord. We long for our sense of safety to be restored and our longing for retribution to be fulfilled to our way of thinking. Yet, we acknowledge that even those who participated in the crime are still Your children. And we ask you to teach us to long for their redemption more than for vengeance. We acknowledge that “safety” exists only in You. This kind of deep healing is only possible in you. Praise God that You are bigger than all this.
 
Lord have mercy on us all.
 
Revelation 21:4--He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
 
We lift up the legal system, the criminal justice system up to you, Lord. We expect the legal system to stand in our stead, a thin blue line between safety and chaos – a process where we hope to be protected from those who seek to harm us or those we love. Yet we are learning more clearly each day the price paid by those who wade into chaos and sin on our behalf from the first responders through all the steps in the legal system and​ social safety net professionals, and​ finally to the incarcerated folks who eventually return to the free world and their communities and families.  We have a special heart for those whom justice fails.
 
Lord have mercy on them all.
 
Hebrews 13:3--Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
 
Lord, we have longed to believe that laws protect us although we understand that is not possible; for if laws protected us there would surely no domestic violence, no vehicular manslaughter. We listened to the siren call of politicians’ promises to make us safe by being more harsh, yet now we are less safe than ever.  Lord, how do we balance consequences with rehabilitation, balance honoring the pain and loss of victims with the call to prevent future damage by someone who lacks impulse control and the capacity to foresee the damage their actions do to others, both strangers and those they love, but are still your beloved child?
 
Lord, give us Your Courage and Your Wisdom.
 
Romans 8:38-39--For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Lord, the Pharisees believed they were “right” in crucifying you.  Pilot believed he was making the right decision for the protection of his employer’s interest. The crowd provided the noise, the energy to make such stunning injustice seem not only OK but desirable.  Lord, we know we have been part of just such a mob as we have demanded to be safer while hiding our eyes from outrageous miscarriages of justice that such fear births.
 
Lord, break our hearts made hard by fear that we might have tender hearts for those seeking to serve you in new ways, living better lives, reaching back to help those still living in such darkness.
 
Micah 6:8--He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
 
Christ’s rising announces that we are all restored, rehabilitated, renewed both from our sins and from the ways other’s sins and carelessness wound us. Yes, Lord, we acknowledge we are each and all in need of healing, healing from wounds of body and soul and mind and heart. Yes, Lord, we acknowledge that we are all in need of forgiveness, given and received. We are exhausted from trying to care for ourselves. Today we choose to rest confidently in you. Teach us to forgive and to accept forgiveness!
 
Halleluiah, Lord!
 
2 Corinthians 5:18b--All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Protect us Lord, from the lies fear would tell us. Fill our hearts with love for each other, for all your children. Make our tender hearts strong enough to look brokenness and fear and darkness in the face that your love might shine from You through us into a world that is in such utter need of healing, hope, peace, joy, love, truth and light….In need of You.
​
Lord, have mercy.​