And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known this day the things that make for peace.”

Luke 19:41-42

 

​The events of recent weeks in America have been some of the most troubling times of our lives. Last week, each morning came with news about the latest scene of violence and evil. As I write this, services are being held for the five officers who were shot and killed in Dallas during a peaceful protest against police brutality. Before the horrific scenes of people running for safety as bullets were being fired, there were peaceful scenes of officers and protesters joined together taking photos showing unity and common good.  

It is very clear that prejudice and partiality is still rampant in our nation. No one is immune to it. The problem affects us all. We struggle to have the same concern for one another as we do for ourselves. Race divides us. Generations divide us. Fear divides us. The presence of evil in our world is not bound to a single color, creed, or nation. We are all people. We face the same common struggles for life.  

We all need to do a self-inventory. We need to ask ourselves, “Do I treat people differently if their skin color is not the same as mine?” Our biases are not always something that we may be aware of. They often settle deep below the surface only to bubble up when we feel threatened or afraid. One indicator of our heart is the language that we may use when speaking about people. Have you ever caught yourself speaking ill of others based on race or ethnicity? Jesus reminds us of this important heart test when he said, “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Our heart spills over to our words and deeds. Do we show the same respect to one another regardless of race or socio-economic background? If upon further examination, we realize that partiality exists in our heart; we should not make excuses in order to justify this sinful practice. Confess the sin to the Lord. Let us ask for him to forgive us and change our heart so that we would treat all people as they truly are, made in the image of God.