Look at His Pattern

It’s never been so nerve-wracking to write a poem

trying to say the latest and greatest

has redefined what needs to be said on the mic.

Attempting to conjugate thoughts and words to script the current state of our climate

is like pre-determined suicide.

Should I say it? Would I dare?

What if what I mean doesn’t come across like I intended it to?

My thoughts behind this pencil aren’t even vitriol or bitter,

but if I say what one or both sides don’t want to hear, then either way I’m doomed.

Even in my humblest posture,

I confess I profess to know so little,

and my thoughts continue to change with new revelations of the Kingdom.

And so much of what we are being fed

comes with the script of darkness and bitterness and a whole lotta division.

Social outlets have graduated us to be seniors in responding,

but freshmen in listening,

and we wonder why healing is so delayed.

We only want to be around people who sound like us, and possibly even look like us because,

whether or we acknowledge it or not, we’re all so afraid

of being hated, ridiculed and we find comfort in a cluster of people with group thought.

We bounce ideas off of people who think just like us

regarding what we shouldn’t do versus what we ought.

We feel right in our circles because our thoughts and actions are confirmed

by the people in our group who say and do the very same things,

so we’ve closed the door on other perspectives.

We judge people who think differently than us, and feel they have nothing to offer

and now we’ve made the truth subjective.

We’ve minimized the truth to a group of people who feel passionate about what they believe

and we’ve turned everyone else into imbeciles

who are lost and can’t find their way.

The only problem is – both sides feel passionate about their feelings

and so we’ve become a polarized race.

So crazy how the plight for right got so quickly hijacked.

Agendas, platforms, movements and causes market the airwaves

and we have all quickly forgotten how this all got started.

We had all decided that systemic racism, police brutality, and unjust killings needed to stop

and it was time to esteem all people as highly regarded.

Where is that mantra? Where is that theme song?

What are the lyrics that we are all singing now

and why and when did they change?

It’s inevitable that when humanity desires to see improvements, but leaves eternity out of the plan, we will only create more loss than gain.

Our best attempts will always have an expiration date and fall short

when we seek to win without restoring creation to God.

Thus far, those attempts just haven’t been able to stand.

We can create laws, amend legislation, and create more laws,

but Righteousness and Justice have already appeared in the form of one new man.

And His name is Jesus and He came to earth to mend what has been broken,

rectify what has been wronged,

and heal the hearts of all those who have been oppressed.

If we look at His pattern for doing so, He didn’t campaign with the government or even have favor with the authorities, yet He bridged the racial divide by spending time with those who were considered “less.”

Consider the Samaritans who were considered less than dogs; they were considered the scum of the earth and worth no second glance from anyone,

more less a Jew and a man.

Yet Jesus speaks to a woman at the well in broad daylight, discloses her past and current life

and does so so compassionately, He breaks off all of her shame.

She runs throughout the city screaming, “This man told me everything I’ve ever done

and her healing caused her to dismiss the polarity that once existed between the 2 races and the village asked him to stay longer and they were accepted into healing the racial divide.

If we look at His pattern, He brought the hope from His Father and that hope saved lives.

The government may very well have something to offer and the authorities may have suggestions that provoke or invoke civil rights for all because we all know this country needs healing at its foundation,

but if we really want to, as people say, “rip the bandaid off,” and mend the racial divide, then we would be wise to put our eyes on the One who formed all of creation.

Oh His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not ours,

so to seek His face and hear His voice is the only way to come out of the prayer closet with the right weapons and tools to fight the injustices we see before our eyes.

We start with knowing that He sees when the sparrows fall, and if He cares for the lilies of the field, the Bible tells us that He will certainly care for our lives.

To seek His face first, is to seek justice first because righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. This is why we can’t look to legislation and law-making lobbyists to try and heal our land alone. This land wasn’t created by them, but it was bruised by them, and so we ask our Father God how to heal our history, and our present, so our future is not so unknown.

If His very platform is righteousness and justice, then all other platforms pail in comparison to His, but people don’t know that and this is why we are in the state of chaos that we are in.

We can’t lead people to healing without acknowledging our nation needs corporate and individual repentance so we can be set free from our enslavement to sin.

The topic of sin does not remove the anguish of injustices, but it does bring to light why the injustices happen and why mankind is suffering so violently.

In truth, we are all shackled until we tackle the first problem, our separation from God,

and He is the only One who can mend the racial divide by reminding us of our identity.

And our identity does not start with our color, we have an upper hand greater than that.

We’re simply wearing the color to honor who He is on the inside.

We get to wear our robes of color because Jesus has given us one another to uniquely represent Him the Christ.

When you see me, oh may you see Him and then may you marvel at His uniqueness in me, and treasure who He has created me to be all in this skin.

May we all be profoundly astonished at His diversity in us, seek to know one another, so we can represent what Revelation 7:9 declares as praises from every nation.

Every tribe, every people group, and every language will declare,

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne.”

Now that’s some echos we will want to hear again and again

and may that blot out right now the rhetoric we are hearing that is so divisive.

May we all choose to begin practicing how we will live in Heaven.

Heaven is free from divisiveness, polarity, and backbiting in futile attempts to win.

The only way to win is to seek restoration which brings redemption

and when we seek restoration instead of self-seeking agendas, His Kingdom comes and the darkness, hatred, and contrary spirits have no room to thrive. Let’s remember the pattern.He brought the hope from His Father and that hope saved lives.

Jesus is still the Good News; the message hasn’t changed.

Our grief is real, our pain is real and our tears have a language that is demanding answers because everyone is confused.

Just like in Luke 1, Jesus is still bringing joy to all people and even in the midst of the mounting complex uncertainties, may we respond like Mary, his mother, turn our questions such as “How can this be?” into statements like, “May everything You say come true.”

We have a hope. His name is Jesus the Christ and He wants to shine in us and as followers, we can either be silent, disassociate from it all, or scream loud and louder so we can be heard.

History has taught us the one with the mic isn’t always the one to trust,

so why don’t we follow Christ’s example,

offer a hope to each and every person we meet and let’s let that be the first and last word.

Let’s pray. . .

Anita Scott
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