Two weeks after not guilty and where is America at? Has the country's temperature risen any hotter? The melee lasted for a bit. A week at best. Some destroyed buildings and properties, several marches, a lot of speeches, and of course, regulars like Al Sharpton and Congressman John Lewis had their say in front of the public eye. And people are still marching. Rallies are still being held with more awaiting to be scheduled. A likely Civil case against the defendant George Zimmerman will resume the legal argument at an unknown point in the future. But all in all when compared to the fiasco occurring with the Rodney King beating in LA, OJ Simpson's run from the law with his now infamous Ford Bronco, and the historical murder of Emmett Till back in 1955 for simply whistling at a white woman, the noise and chaos from Trayvon Martin's murder seems to be quieting down pretty rapidly. Yes there are still news reminders here and there and yes some of us still talk about the tragedy during our own social meetings and while hearing personal sermons from our various pastors but compared to the devastation of the Rodney King aftermath and how that incident kept America up for years, Trayvon Martin's death does not seem to have that same effect.
From the news media one can hear the hot topics jump back into the daily occurrence of furious weather, further unrest and likelihood of bigger wars in places around the Mid East, such as Egypt and Syria, as well as the media's favorite topic, their hopes of the new Pope Francis possibly declaring his support of homosexuality through his statement "who am I to judge?". Looks like the great media has already lost interest in the Trayvon Martin case or maybe the audience along with the mass civil rights movement has tired of the topic.
What may be occurring in America is possibly a shift in individual priorities and interest. While talking to both black and white people regarding the case I discovered that not all black men and women were upset about the case. Some black men and women believe that the Trayvon Martin case ruling was fair. Some white men and women believed that George Zimmerman got away with murder. Could this be a sign? Is it possible that the race division in America is subsiding even if the change is ever so slowly?
Or maybe there is another division, a separation much greater than that of race and ethnicity that is beginning to take its place as #1 deep in the hearts of American people. A separation that has always been there but hardly mentioned as a top priority amongst human beings. The division of certain beliefs against that of one's faith or can we say atheism versus Christianity. One can more closely look at the situation as a partition between the faithful followers of Christ and those who will yield to the world.
9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men[a] 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. I Corinthians 6:9-11
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14.
Listening to Trayvon Martin's father and people like Al Sharpton speak about the young boy's tragedy and its involvement with race can be very galvanizing. Very tempting for any man, white or black to want to join in. As a Christian man, I too wanted to join the march. Not because of any angry feelings towards Zimmerman, but as a writer and a person who often studies the current culture and media, I wanted to be involved so that I could see, hear, and feel the tension for myself and later share what I learned via my blogs as well as my voice. But I too have to be careful because there is a devil involved in all of this and he is very cunning. He will get you all swept up and emotional over a certain issue while leaving you to forget what is the most important. Remember the two greatest commandments: love God with all one's heart, all one's soul, all one's mind. The other, love your neighbors as you love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). And please do not forget, God will have the last say, regardless of what happens here on earth, trust Him.
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