“If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?”
Matthew 5:47 NLT
George Floyd was murdered this past week by a police officer kneeling on his neck. The whole thing was recorded, so anyone can watch this man’s precious life slip away. I saw some of the footage and it was horrifying. I will never forget it. To me it was the same scene as when Jesus was flogged by Roman soldiers just before being murdered. It was abuse of power. It was hate.
There’s a scene in the movie Shawshank Redemption when Brooks, a lifelong inmate now up for parole as an edlerly man, takes a knife to one of his friend’s neck in hopes that this crime will keep him in prison since that’s all he knows. That scene sticks with me because Brooks is a good person doing a bad thing. In order to get him to drop the knife, Andy (played by Tim Robbins) tells him to look at his friend’s neck. “It’s bleeding,” he says. It’s a call for mercy in the moment, and it works.
It didn’t work in the case of George Floyd.
George himself was pleading. Spectators were pleading. The officer just continued to let hate and fear guide his actions. In that moment, the officer had a simple choice: show love, or show hate; care for your fellow human being, or harden your heart and cause pain.
Saying love is the answer might be viewed as oversimplifying a complex matter. It might be seen as a cliche response to what is clearly a dialog-producing moment. Please don’t get me wrong. I engage in the dialog. I think deeply about the complexities of race, power, privilege, and the underrepresented. But I never engage in conversation or thought on these matters without returning to Jesus and love.
I’ve had my own moments of hate and anger, as everyone does. When I reflect on those moments I feel sadness. My heart was hard and I was weak. It happens. But how quickly do you rebound when you’re experiencing hate? How quickly does your heart soften and your eyes open to the truth? Hopefully soon enough to minimize the damage. In the case of George Floyd, it wasn’t soon enough.
How terrible is it that right now in such an extreme moment of emotion we’re told not to hug one another because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Hell, we’re not even supposed to be around one another. It’s no wonder why people have taken to violence. Frustration is at an all-time high and people are confused. The time for love has never been greater.
Think about the people and situations that bring you discomfort. Think about what makes you angry and frustrated. Think about the injustice, persecution, violence, and abuse in the world. Then turn and think of love.
Corinthians 13 tells us that “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
May this definition guide us through our pain, anger, and frustration. May it be our daily practice to show this kind of love to each other. There is no better way. Love is the answer to all things and in order to truly discover this truth we must put it into practice regardless of the circumstances.