Sacrifice
I grew up watching Indiana Jones and all sorts of campy movies. I’m familiar with human sacrifices. I’ve seen it before. Christianity is based on sacrifice, and so are all the major religions. Self- sacrifice is Parenting 101. It’s everywhere. During war and peace, there are always sacrifices to be made. In America, we sacrifice the poor and the minority communities. We sacrifice what we don’t value. Interesting enough, God asks for sacrifices, too. God asks for the things we value. God wants our time, our tenth, and our talent. God wants our first fruits. God wants our best. What are you willing to sacrifice?
Eradicate
e·rad·i·cate /əˈradəˌkāt/ verb
destroy completely; put an end to.
I’ve heard a lot of conversation about police defunding and reform. I agree that those things are necessary, but it’s bigger than that. We must eradicate systemic racism. In order to truly do that, we must also eradicate the systems that have benefited from racism. This is when you really can see results. This is when true change can occur. America was built on racism. Our economy was built on racism. Our laws are derived from racism. Our educational systems are rooted in racism. Our housing market is rooted in racism? What do we need to eradicate? Everything.
Ally
I’ve heard that we need allies. Ally comes from the Latin word alligare, meaning "to bind to," like nations who are allies in wartime — they will act together, and protect one another. Allies form alliances. They unite. They function on one accord. We do need unity. We do need voices of all creeds and cultures. We do need to act together. We must understand that if one group is suffering then we are suffering. If you are grieving, we are all grieving. If you hurt, I hurt. It's humanity. It’s brotherhood. Are we all not God's children? So let’s act like it. Then, we are allies.
Reckoning
No one deserves to die, but we all have to at some point. Death has no discernment. It is the great equalizer. No one can live forever. We can control how we live. We can control how we treat people. We can control how we respond to people in dire circumstances. Do we still have kind words on our lips? Do we value our humanity? Do we value our health? Does our leadership have the same values? Depending on where your politics lie, will determine your answer to most of these questions. We are experiencing a worldwide reckoning. Not quite the biblical judgment, but we should not emerge from this the same. Business should not be “as usual.” We should be different. Our world should be different. Hopefully!
Lamp
In times like these, it’s hard to know the right path. The future seems uncertain. Every news story is doom and gloom. Faith comes hard. Reality hits harder. Fear is everywhere. Doubt is easy. Unbelief seems like the normal. God never said it would be easy. God never said you would always be sure. God never said you wouldn’t have your skepticism. God never said you would always have the answers. He did say that his word would be a lamp. You only need a lamp when it’s dark. So, know that you have light during these dark times. You still can trust the word of God to be a lamp.
Psalm 119:105 (KJV) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Proceed
Shall I proceed? Sometimes, we find ourselves asking for permission. We want to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to course correct. We are on the right path. We are heading in the right direction. We are walking in purpose in the direction of our destiny. Go forward. Have great expectations for this next year of your life. There is more God has for you. Be renewed in your mind and your heart. Proceed!
Believe
To believe is to accept something as true. If I am completely honest, there a few things I just don’t believe in anymore because my experience says otherwise. I no longer believe in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy because I discovered they weren’t real. They were fantasies that my mother perpetuated to keep hope alive. If we’re completely honest, there are people and things we still believe in because of our desire to keep hope alive. Hope is such a strong emotion. It is the substance of faith. It is the foundation for our belief system. Ask yourself, “What do you believe? Who do you believe? Have you given up hope? Why?” For those of you who no longer have faith in people, or even yourself, maybe you should try believing in something bigger than you. Believe that there is more. Believe that trouble don’t last always. Believe it does get better. Believe that things will work out for your benefit. Believe that you are enough. Just believe!