Philippians 2:21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
Whoever loves his neighbor loves God. God created the world out of His love. He wanted a people who would choose to love Him. Anything done without God’s agape love for His creation behind their actions goes against the commands of God to love others as much as we do ourselves. Without love we are just making noise. Carla
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
Though we have freedom, we also have a responsibility to help others in their Christian growth. Our first duty is to others, not ourselves. The NKJV Study Bible
Paul advises believers to privilege the needs and concerns of others over their own. Faithlife Study Bible
1 Corinthians 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
1 Corinthians 10:33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Romans 15:1–2 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.
On March 3, 2013 I was honored to participate in a Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage (to Selma and Montgomery and Birmingham to commemorate Bloody Sunday and crossing the Selma Bridge). A pilgrimage led by John Lewis.
We sat in the First Baptist Church of Montgomery (in the 60s led by Ralph Abernathy and significant in the Montgomery Bus Boycott).
John reminded us of the story, when in 1965, as he led 600 peaceful protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, white state troopers attacked the marchers, turning Bloody Sunday into an emblem of segregation's senselessness. “We were beaten, we were tear-gassed. I thought I was going to die on this bridge. But somehow and some way, God almighty helped me here. We cannot give up now. We cannot give in. We must keep the faith, keep our eyes on the prize.”
In church that morning, Police Chief Kevin Murphy was not initially invited to the event, but was asked to speak only after Montgomery's mayor and director of public safety were unable to attend. And Chief Murphy went off script. He was supposed to say, "Welcome to Montgomery." Instead, he said he wanted the Montgomery Police Department to be "heard in a different light than what history has recorded in years past. There's still a lot of work to do; we know that. We, the police department, need to make the first move to build that trust back in our community that was once lost because we enforced unjust laws. Those unjust laws were immoral and wrong. But you know what? It's a new day. And there's a new police department and a new Montgomery here and now and on the horizon."
Captain Murphy asked Rep. John Lewis (our pilgrimage leader) to stand, and come forward. Rep. Lewis—a Civil Rights worker, a Congressman—was on the Selma Bridge that original Bloody Sunday, and was beaten.
Captain Murphy said simply, "We owe you an apology."
"When you got off the bus in 1961, you didn't have a friend in the police department." (At the time, the Police department stood to the side as protestors were beaten and killed.) "I want you to know that you have friends in the Montgomery Police Department--that we're for you, we're with you, we want to respect the law and adhere to the law, which is what you were trying to do all along." Chief Murphy removed his badge, handing it to John Lewis, "This symbol of authority, which used to be a symbol of oppression, needs to be a symbol of reconciliation."
"It means a great deal," Lewis said later. (Lewis had been arrested during civil rights protests in cities across the south, saying it was the first time a police chief had ever apologized to him.) "I teared up. I tried to keep from crying."
When asked after, Murphy told reporters, "I did it because it was the right thing to do."
This is a story to re-tell, because I want to choose take this conversion to heart: That which can be used for hurt and pain, can be redeemed and used for reconciliation.
On bridges that have seen pain and hatred, new bridges can be built.
Here's the deal: Each and every one of us can choose to be bridges builders.
We can build bridges for reconciliation and second chances and peace making.
We can build roads for mercy and generosity and justice.
We can build floors for dancing and music and celebration.
We create bandages for wounds and fractured spirits and broken hearts.
We create sanctuaries for safety and prayer and hope, to replenish us and invite us to wholeness.
When kindheartedness spills, I live with my heart unclenched and expanded. And I am no longer a walking resentment in search of a cause.
In that Montgomery church I realized that it doesn't matter what we expect from life, but what life expects from us. As a result, we can choose to unleash the heart, in order to be our better selves. Sabbath Moments
No comments:
Post a Comment