Love is the only way to help us mend a wounded Baton Rouge
By Grelan Muse Sr., Inside The Pew, Special to ASSIST News Service
BATON ROUGE, LA (ANS – July 19, 2016)
– I begin this column by sending my condolences to the families of the
three wounded officers and the loved ones of the three Baton Rouge peace
officers who lost their lives on July 17: Montrell Jackson, 32, Matthew
Gerald, 41, and Brad Garafola, 45.
My
home city has been a place of turmoil since the shooting of Alton
Sterling on July 5. However, in the midst of the turmoil, I see a Baton
Rouge that is capable of making change.
After
reading Montrell Jackson’s Facebook post, written on July 8, we were
all confronted with a man who felt he was not respected on either side
of the fence. And despite all of the nasty looks Jackson contended he
received, he adopted the only emotion that is kind, unselfish, and
perseveres -- love!
It is the only thing that will help us mend a wounded Baton Rouge.
Somewhere
along the way, we have become numb to the concept of respecting life.
Jesus came to do away with all evil acts (1 John 3:8). Now, more than
ever, is the time to adorn the shield of Christ and stand up against the
enemy. Instead of attempts to play the blame game, now is the time to
pray ask for forgiveness. Remove the political and selfish agendas. Once
all that is gone, we have common ground.
Remember
what the Bible says about love? Ask for our Father to restore us with
agape love. The greatest commandment that we love one another as He
loved us (John 13:34). Ask God to restore us as a people and a nation.
When
we focus on loving each other, healing begins. Speaking of agape love,
we have a generation who believe bloodshed is the only way to express
themselves. Youth know a cold world. Mentors of youth: Let’s listen to
lesser-known voices and show them positive steps toward unity and
understanding while simultaneously showing discontent.
I
recall Martin Luther King Jr. achieving a lot without harming a soul.
Young men and women have it within them, but they need role models to
show the young an effective way to express their anger. Channel that
anger for change that is beneficial and life-changing. The answer isn’t
violence.
Solomon
wrote there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-9). Now is the
time, Baton Rouge, for us to plant seeds of positivity and to harvest
love for all.
Photo
captions: 1) Slain Baton Rouge police officer, Montrell Jackson. 2) Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., waves to the crowd during the March on
Washington. 3) Grelan A. Muse Sr.
About
the writer: Grelan Muse Sr., himself a resident of Baton Rouge, is the
founder of Emanuel and The Mainline Ministries (EMM), a tax-exempt
organization, also based in the city. EMM is the parent of Inside The
Pew (http://insidethepew.net/) and AccessNow (https://access2016.wordpress.com/). Greland is also founder and host of Pew Talk Radio (http://pewtalkradio.com/), an online radio show broadcast on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 a.m. CST. You can contact him at grelan@pewtalkradio.com .
His social media links are:
Twitter: @pewtalk
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pewtalk/
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