I AM SO AFRAID-OF ME!!

Care to watch a video clip? Here we go!!

I am reminded of Season 1, episode 5: Genesis 3: 12, "The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Episode 1 is when God creates the heavens; Episode 2-He makes man: Episode 3: He makes woman: Episode 4: Adam and Eve are walking in total dominion: Episode 5: The Blame game-Disavowing responsibility is birthed.

Fast forward to July 20th, 2010; it seems like I am re-living Genesis 3:12 in a different light. This time, we have video evidence, compared to the days of Adam and Eve. Season 1 Episode 1: Who is Shirley Sherrod? Episode 2: The 24 Year old Story: Episode 3: Shirley Sherrod-Racist: Episode 4: Shirley Sherrod Fired: Episode 5: The blame game-disavowing responsibility re-established. I am still scratching my head at the story of Shirley Sherrod, former USDA Georgia State Rural Development Director. When Episode 1-5 of the Shirley Sherrod Show took place, The Agriculture Department, NAACP, Breitbart the Blogger (I choose to call him this), and Fox News, to mention a few, where quick to call on the resignation of Sherrod. In trying to defend herself, Sherrod was not heard, and forced to resign. Up until that point, she was the "Racist" who was not willing to help a white man-24 years ago.

Then the tables turned; the complete video clip, which earlier defamed her character because it was edited, to say the lest, was shown in its entirety. All of a sudden, everyone begins to back pedal, or apologize-at least that's what we think-wrong!! Kind of reminds me of a conversation The Teacher has with his student- “Don't jump to conclusions - there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw. In the heat of an argument, don't betray confidences; Word is sure to get around, and no one will trust you.” (Proverbs 25:8-MSG) In short, NAACP, Fox News, Breitbart the Blogger, Ministry of Agriculture, “Don’t jump to conclusions,” or as another translation puts it, “Do not go out hastily to argue your case; otherwise what will you do in the end…?” (vs. 8: NASB).

As I listened and watched the Sherrod story unfold, my entire attitude was simple-even though I gasped at what I was seeing; “How guilty am I of the same actions of jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts?” “How easy is it for me to justify my actions with the limited information I have without considering ALL the facts and the other person?” “Have I taken the time to pray before passing judgment?” “Have I sought counsel before delivering on my actions?” I had to look at the Sherrod story as a wake up call for my own spiritual journey; truth be told, we all have some “Fox, NAACP, Breitbart the Blogger, Ministry of Agriculture, etc, Syndrome” in us-Jumping to conclusions, believing our conclusions, standing by our conclusions….UNTIL!!!

What is so amazing about this entire story was what happened after the ‘TRUTH” came out. The Obama Administration apologized and admitted they acted hastily; Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack apologized publicly and privately to Sherrod; The NAACP apologized; Fox News and Breitbart the blogger, who brought this to our “attention” decided to play the blame game. They asked the following questions: Did the Obama administration act too fast? Why did they rush to judgment without getting all the facts right?-it was their responsibility. (Hmm…interesting perspective-considering the media that broke the news did not do its homework either). The same news organization, which 24 hours earlier condemned Sherrod-played edited clips of the video in question-asked for her resignation immediately-all of a sudden 24 hours later, are blaming the whole world, but themselves. Did they publicly apologize to Sherrod for the half baked truth they presented? If you can call an apology mixed with criticism, defiance, to say the lest, an apology-then I guess YES? It was Episode 1, scene 5 of the book of Genesis-Playing the Blame Game-Disavowing Responsibility.

What has happened to HUMILITY? Is pride that steeped into our blood system that when we have wronged someone and driven their name through the mud, we still refuse to acknowledge our wrong doings?

What has happened to BROKENNESS? To be able to look someone in the eye and say, “You know what, I really did not do my homework and I judged you wrongly, I am truly sorry.”

Am I that DECEIVED that even in the midst of compelling evidence and facts, I still refuse to accept responsibility and blame every body else and not even take a shred of responsibility?

Am I so quick to jump to conclusions, make my case, justify my actions, and hurt someone so that I can come out on top? Am I that evil? Can I manipulate so easily and call it justice?

I was so afraid at what I saw unfold in the Sherrod story-afraid not so much for Fox News and whatever media outlet out there, but afraid for me, afraid of the evil that is bound up in the heart of humanity-that I can look at a circle and see its a circle, but choose to call it a square because its all relative. I am afraid for me when I choose to play the blame game with my actions and completely disavow responsibility. I am afraid of me, when I am wrong and I choose not to admit I am wrong-choosing to allow someone else to hurt so bad so that I can save face. I am afraid of me for what could become if I choose not to look at my fellow human being as someone who has feelings, breathes just like I do, and has a blood flow just like I do, but choose to consider them as an object-nothing more, nothing less. I am afraid of Me.

Jeremiah would agree with me when he writes, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:9-10

I NEED HIS GRACE!!!

Have you ever had one of those “God rattling moments?” Minding your own business, but with a click of a remote control to change a channel, you hear someone say something and that one thing they said just ushers you into a different time zone and space? You begin to think of the implications of their statement and trying hard not to think about what they said? The statement, “We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us,” was no different. Why did I hear this? It was official-I become unsettled within me.

I think of this statement in grandiose situations and not so much grand-but each situation having the potential to change the course of history when it comes to time choosing the moment. Moses-had it grand Oholiab-not so grand. Paul, Grand; Simon of Cyrene-not so grand. Esther-Grand; The Slave girl-not so grand. For each of these characters, time had chosen then in their various capacities and they had a choice to respond.

Let us consider a few examples:

Nehemiah-Arise and Build: Nehemiah is known for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem-a significant accomplishment. We have a book in his honor to prove the contribution he made to history.. His task was to arise, motivate, and engage the people to rebuild the walls of a city that was once known for its strength. He faced opposition-but the cause drove him on and he finished rebuilding the walls. In light of the statement we are considering, what walls do you have to rebuild? A broken relationship? A broken home? A broken community? You may not have chosen this time, but has time chosen you to rebuild the broken places?

Joiada-The Repairer: No book was written in his honor. He did not know he would play a significant role in repairing a fortress for a nation, but here was Joiada. What is said of him is simple. “The Old City Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam…they laid beams set up its doors, and installed its bolts and bars.” I can imagine Joiada refusing to do this menial work because he wanted to be like Nehemiah. However, in 52 days, Joiada is known as a man, who prior to this, wondered how the walls would be repaired, as a repairer of the Old City Gate. What area is God calling you to repair? Not necessarily rebuild, but just repair something and bring it back to its rightful place? Has time come knocking for repairs?

Simon of Cyrene-The Cross Carrier: Of all the characters in the Bible, Simon of Cyrene is probably the only character that makes me draw back because he found himself in a predicament. I can safely say that Simon did not choose this time, but time came calling and chose him. Matthew 27:32 states, “Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.” Take a deep breath and think-he did not choose this, this was forced upon him. He could have flashed his human rights card and declared war of the soldiers, but in an instance, the severity of time choosing could not allow. What a privilege to carry the cross of Christ! An experience no other person in history can attest to but Simon. Yet in our present world, there are crosses that are being forced on us to carry and we are fighting tooth and nail not to carry them, instead of realizing that time has chosen us for this moment. It may not be grandiose, but it’s a call from the Master of the Cross.

I think of men and women who could have chosen a different path for their lives, but because time has chosen them, they cannot seem to run from it. They have sacrificed a lot to be the voice of a generation. I think of pastors who put their lives on the line for people and the same people are ungrateful and hateful, yet time has chosen them to hold that one hand that needs them. I think of when natural disasters happen and the world is at a standstill-wondering what to do, yet countless teams go and help out the afflicted. They leave their comfortable homes to sleep in tents so that they can hold that hand that is crying out. I think of people who serve nations, like the firefighters of September 11, 2001 who never saw the calamity that was about to take place. Yet, when time came calling, they had to respond and many lost their lives to save others. Time called them.

It’s not like people sign the dotted line and say, “I want to be born in this era, and I want all cards to fall according to what I want.”No! Its realizing that we may not have chosen the time, places, homes, we are currently connected to, but time is no respecter of all these things. When time chooses us, we need to brace ourselves for misunderstandings, lonely places, questions, but most of all, a back of steel, cause we will need it. Could it be that someone needs a deliverer? A cross carrier? A rebuilder of broken walls? We should not be afraid to face the future-we can change it because time is beckoning us!

The question remains, when time comes calling, will we be ready to respond accordingly?