Travon Martin, My Brother

I was debating about weighing in on the Travon Martin tragedy. Wading into these waters of white vs. black has dangerous historical and contemporary undercurrents. You know when Al Sharpton comes to your town, it is now a circus. Just wish he had the same commitment of protesting black-on-black violence.  That just doesn't play as well with his narrative. Yet, I will save that blog for another day.


When George Zimmerman pulled the trigger of his gun, it was the logical outworking of his aim in life. Worldviews matter. He did not have a spirit of compassion residing in his soul that night he was on Neighborhood Watch. Instead it was suspicion looking for a problem. He was in a default mode of expecting trouble and Travon became his target. Travon may have been guilty of reciprocating a spirit of distrust and anger and perhaps even violence towards Zimmerman, before his gun was pulled. As is often the case, two negatives hardly even make a positive, except in math--and the calculations of the Cross on Calvary. Two negatives go nuclear reactor-like, both parties adding enriched anger uranium fuel rods to the fire, and containment as Chernobyl is lost. Devastation ensues. Rage radioactivity.


When the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that the "Greatest of these is Love," he extols us to remember that love is the default of the Christian. Not suspicion, criticism, anger, acrimony. Love assumes the best, believes the best. We are not to be naive yet "Love never fails." Love is to be our aim.  


1 Cor 13:8


Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used.