You see, we’ve got this problem as Christians.
It’s a problem, where,
unlike the rest of the world,
we’re not allowed to demonize or villainize
Trayvon Martin or George Zimmerman.
It’s a problem, where,
because we decided to follow Christ,
this guy who loved outcasts,
this guy who loved all humanity,
even to the point of dying for people who completely hated him,
and because we agreed to do our best
to live in Christ-like ways,
to have Christ-like attitudes,
we show love to both a person like
Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman,
and want the best for them, too,
despite whatever initial reactions we may or may not have.
It’s a problem, where,
we not only have to show mercy, grace, and forgiveness,
but we also have to want to show mercy, grace, and forgiveness
to Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman,
who really are people just like you and me,
who make stupid mistakes day after day,
who deal with the consequences and tragedies that result,
no matter what actually happened,
and none of us were actually there
to say what actually happened.
It’s quite the dilemma
to have to want to show grace, mercy, and forgiveness
to anyone who the popular world has tried to turn into a monster.
It’s a problem, where,
because we belong to the Church,
this living body of Christ,
we have to be an extension of that Church,
a body that is required to open its doors
to anyone just like
Trayvon Martin or George Zimmerman,
and welcome them with Christ’s love,
no matter what they did or didn’t do,
and show Christ’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness to them,
and look at them with Christ-like eyes,
eyes that seek to see the good in them,
eyes that seek to see the hope for both of them.
You see, this is quite a problem to follow Christ,
and not follow the world’s pressures and desires.
I suppose this is why the Church is not really that popular after all,
it’s why the Church will never ever be popular,
because it says to resist the world,
and do things that are unpopular,
like love both Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman equally,
with the same Christ-like love,
and want the best for anyone
who the world in all of its emotionalism and reactionalism,
has deemed as evil.
Christ certainly sees the best in us
and is willing to forgive our mistakes;
following Christ means we’ve agreed to do the same.
This really is quite the problem,
but it really shouldn’t be a problem
for the person who has claimed Christianity,
but rather it is the problem
for the world in understanding Christianity.
The Kayaking Church 