Juneteenth 2020

The Liberty To Choose

It’s easy to look at myself in the mirror and count all the ways that life could be better for us.  We’ve come a long way baby!… And even little things like finding George on the Amazon blog, while ordering my favorite rinse, will not let us forget that we still have a long way to go.

Juneteenth for us is like the Passover celebration of the Children of Israel.  We celebrate coming out of slavery in America on Juneteenth and Israel celebrates coming out of slavery in Egypt on Passover (also known as the Feast of Unleaven Bread).

So then, we choose.  What do we do now?  I believe we honor those before us by taking advantage of every freedom they hurt, bled and died for; that we acknowledge the God-likeness of every life; that we serve the people we are given to serve; and rail against the evil that seeks to kill, steal and destroy every single one of us (John 10:10).

While our ultimate enemy has no skin (Ephesians 6:12), one of his main tools to keep us distracted is the color of skin.

Distracted from what? Distracted from living and moving, and having being in the Spirit of the Lord where there is liberty, (2 Corinthians 3:17) and having peace that can be hard to understand (Philippians 4:7).

They say we get more of what we focus on.  It’s like a self fulfilling prophecy.  So that must mean if I focus on my oppressor, I become more oppressed? …even in my mind?

The battle does not belong to me. (2 Chronicles 20:15)  My moment by moment battle is to transformed my mind (Romans 12:2) to live the truth that all things were created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).

If that focus feels like doing nothing about injustice then (especially as we celebrate freedom) consider it a perspective that each of us have the liberty to choose.

May love,grace and peace rest, rule and abide with you all.  Happy Juneteenth!!