Standing on Shaky Ground

"If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still." (Ecclesiastes 5:8)

"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD. "I will protect them from those who malign them." (Psalms 12:5)

The upcoming Presidential election has generated more furor than I recall seeing in previous elections.  Attacks and counterattacks are bursting forth and popping off like a never-ending fireworks display. Regardless of who will fill the Office of the President of the United States in January 2013, ultimately God is still in control and there will be some things we will like about the direction we will be led in, and some we will not--even if our candidate of choice fills the seat.

As people of faith, we must remember that we are electing politicians, not pastors.  Certainly we must vote carefully and prayerfully, but we have to remain grounded about what is really going on and not be swayed by misplaced expectations.  God does not need our political system to accomplish his Kingdom agenda.  And, nothing that happens or doesn't happen at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue gets us off the hook from carrying out our God-given directives--even if it becomes difficult for us to do so.

Essentially, the choice comes down to this, we can have someone in office who emphasizes equity for all people and freedom for all individuals--with an over-emphasis on freedom by declaring that people are free to do that which God says they are not. In this scenario, regardless of what any man declares we are free to do, those of us who answer to God as our final authority must decide if we will follow the "freedoms" of man's law or submit to the authority of God's law. 

Or we can choose someone who unapologetically maligns the poor and makes light of the oppressed--one who will fight to save the unborn, but then patronize or disregard the lives of certain groups once they are born; one who declares his concern for all Americans, but whose declaration has demonstrated no depth and a stony interior:

And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth.... (Mark 4:5)

Perhaps the stony hearts of those who are desperately seeking the White House would be softened by spending time with the poor and lowly, like some persons did on reality shows like Secret Millionaire and Undercover Boss.  Perhaps the stony hearts would actually melt if those individuals went deep undercover and altered their skin pigment to live as a person of color as white journalist John Howard Griffin did in 1961, a troubling journey he recounted in his book, Black Like Me.  

In each of these instances, the individuals who availed themselves to truly and thoroughly walk in the shoes of people whose reality was miles apart from anything they could ever theorize came out of the experience with their eyes and hearts opened.

I recall one episode of Secret Millionaire in which a millionaire was given meager funds to subsist on and stayed in a rundown duplex alongside those in the poor neighborhood where the filming took place.  For the first time he realized how difficult it was to afford anything healthy to eat and how stressful it was to live in dangerous and dilapidated surroundings--both of which affected his quality of sleep, energy level, and ability to focus on his daily tasks.  Of course, he was only there a few days, but imagine growing up every day in a poor, crime-filled neighborhood with schools lacking in resources while the school of hard knocks is never lacking in drugs or assault weapons (which, by the way, are imported into the neighborhood by a hierarchy of individuals whose top rung extends far beyond the residents who use them--but that's another blog).

Certainly, there are many families and individuals who are succeeding in life, and there are far more success stories in the minority populations than we are led to believe. There are also numerous success stories of individuals who made it out of dire circumstances and are doing quite well.  But, there are still too many Americans who are left behind in a country that is supposed to be leading the world.

I have worked in one of the most challenged inner-city schools in the nation's capital, and I can tell you first-hand that "separate but unequal" still exists for too many children today. The policies and perspectives of those we put in leadership have a direct impact on whether things will change or remain the same.  

It is disappointing to see politicians tread on shaky ground by characterizing a high percentage of Americans as deadbeats with a victim mentality.  Apparently they have conveniently forgotten about the racial brutality and corporate greed that have been unsightly but all too real threads in the fabric of our being as a nation. Such individuals are standing on shaky ground when they insist on standing their ground by maligning hard-working people who pay their fair share of taxes and, when possible, enjoy their fair share of income tax breaks as allowed by law.

It's fine to stand your ground when you're standing on solid ground, or even better, holy ground.  But when the ground you are standing on is shaped by a myopic reality that is signified by those in your own "amen corner"--a $50,000/a plate "amen corner"--you've gone beyond shaky ground and into sinking sand.

The scripture is replete with references to the poor and oppressed, two words which are often found together because of the relationship between oppression and poverty. Sure, there are people who are poor because of their own poor decisions, but there are far more who are poor due to being marginalized by those in power.

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid [them] out of the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 82:3-4)

Because the ground is level at the cross, it stands to reason that God would want us, as His ambassadors, to level the playing field in all aspects of life.  Plus, it's probably better for us to proactively level the playing field rather than leaving it to God.  For, if we refuse to help our brother up, God just may decide to bring us down. 


BNcouraged!

Rev. Karen

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