A World Gone Crazy

There are so many things I could touch on under this topic that grieves my spirit,  but I'm going to start with what I just saw/experienced. I commute to D.C. each week. Typically without incident. All sorts of people -young, old, rich, poor, homeless, sane, and insane - ride the Metro.

This evening, I barely made the train and shuffled quickly onto the last car. I immediately regretted it. As I looked ahead, I saw frightened looking patrons dodging what looked like glow sticks as they whizzed by. An older man wearing one of those fluorescent WMATA vests indicating he worked for Metro stepped past me. I sat down as glow sticks came close enough to warrant a change of seats.

I see a group of maybe five teenage males and one female, all Black, throwing glow sticks with so much force,  the sticks hit the walla of the train, missing their intended targets and hurtled toward other men and woman, many wearing suits. You could see it - fear and disdain - and the teenagers (children really) jeered,  laughed,  swore, and continued to throw glow sticks and trash. I had several thoughts- first, images like this and the fear it breeds, is what is reflected in the news of the young Black male. They didn't realize or didn't care that this mess right here is what makes people (not just White people) afraid of Black youth. This is every stereotype,  this is the soundbyte on the news, this is the police video that airs before the picture of somebody's baby who got shot just for being a (rowdy) teenager. 

I was conflicted - the auntie in me, the adult, acknowledging how I was raised to respond to elders, wanted to tell them to chill. I wanted to tell them my thoughts. As I struggled internally with whether I should say something, the Metro worker gently corrected them and asked them to calm down. They kind of mocked him,saying "We're just having fun, being young mister!" seeming to comply for a few moments, then  several cursing him under their breath,  went back to throwing glow sticks, cursing at each other, and throwing trash in the subway car. I decided against a learning moment.

At the next stop, I switched cars. My mind was still on those kids. They don't realize that behavior, hey, less than that, as a Black youth - can get you dead in this country. I was and am still grieved. What is happening to us? What is happening to our kids?

What are your thoughts? Would you have said something? Would you just ignored it?

Letting Go of Your Past (The Old Man is Dead)

I've been going through some changes and growth spiritually and the biggest thing I've been wrestling with is my past. I didn't think so, but I realize that I have.

Galatians 6:14-16 NLT

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

I don't always have peace because I sometimes struggle with this principle. It's a simple one. Jesus Christ is Lord. He died for every iniquity in my family history, every sin I could THINK to commit...and yet, I still find sad about who I was, what I was exposed to, whatever residue I perceive is there from my background - worrying about if it affects me, affect s others. I know it sounds crazy, but I hope maybe this helps someone struggling with the same thing.

Galatians 3:25-27 KJV

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

I received the Holy Spirit shortly after I gave my life to Christ. I was baptized in water a few months later.

1 Peter 3:21 KJV

The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Water baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God. I realized I was struggling because once again, I had become overly conscious of self. The truth is that all of that was dealt with before I was born, at the cross. So I prayed about my self consciousness.

What I saw was myself walking toward light and periodically, I'd pick up my dead self and drag it by the feet with me. And then I'd lay down the dead man and I'd do well and then, for some reason,  I'd pick it back up. Flies and the stench of that dead thing would follow. Then I looked back and people in my life were hanging on to the dead body I was dragging - the old me. They hadn't embraced who God ia crafting me into yet. They were still hanging on to (dead) me too. Then I finally saw me leaving that thing to rot and moving forward into my future, being careful not to look back.

Ephesians 4:21-24 KJV

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Let us be renewed in the spirit of our minds, let us change the way we look at ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are new men and women. The reason we sometimes reek of our past is not because we've engaged in anything we used to do - it's because we're still dragging the memory!! So I leave the old woman to start in her grave, covered by the blood of Jesus. My past is covered, my family history is covered. I chose life back in 2008 when I gave my life to Christ and I chose life every day thereafter. Let us not wallow in our pasts, but revel in the blessing of the present in anticipation of our glorious future in Christ.