We must learn to understand their point of view.
- Young Women: As the father of a seven-year-old girl, one of the first things I noticed was the number of young women of all racial hues who were a part of the rioting. To be clear, I’m not singling out women, but I was struck that rioting was not merely a male-driven activity. Seeing the number of young women was jarring and compels me to dig deeper as a father and to keep asking questions in this area of my life. When I asked one of the young women why she was rioting it was as if she was saying, “If men can do it, why can’t I?”
We must realize our presuppositions may be wrong.
- 1968 vs. 2020: As the famous saying goes, “History always repeats itself.” Those words may be very true when it comes to how 2020 is being played out. Everything in 1968 seemed to be falling apart in our country, from watching the death of Martin Luther King Jr., to the rioting and looting that happened in almost every American city. Although the year has changed, there are several characteristics that are similar and worth taking note.
We must remember to look in our mirror and not just at them.
- The Power: One of the things that stood out to me throughout the riot was the number of people who listened to what I had to say. Several times I asked people who were looting to put things back and to go home, and they listened. We may have a generation of people who want to be heard and spoken into from mature people.
We must participate.
In Acts 15, Jesus hadn’t been gone long from the scene physically before the people started arguing about race and culture. I love how the chapter makes it clear that God had given them the authority to lead and walk through the mess. We have been called as believers to walk through the mess and boldly use His power to guide us in these very interesting days ahead of us.
