Good morning…
A forever friend sent me the image above. “I’m not interested in whether you’ve stood with the great. I’m interested in whether you’ve sat with the broken.” True. Tender. Touching. I sense the nod of God.
Words we read aloud in our Sunday afternoon class now bring this quote to life.
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Excerpt from pages 17 and 18 of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Proximity (sitting with people) has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Finally, I’ve come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.
We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, a nation. Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until we suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize others. The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it’s necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and – perhaps – we all need some measure of unmerited grace.
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The word “just” means to be guided by truth, fairness, and integrity. The word “mercy” means to act with kindness, compassion, and benevolence. What a perfect title for this thought-provoking book, Just Mercy. “We all need justice,” says Bryan. “We all need mercy . . . we all need some measure of unmerited grace.”
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8, NIV). Walking with our God, we all are invited to sit down beside the broken and humbly share life together.
…Sue…
P.S. If you live in the Atlanta area and you feel drawn to join us as we enjoy sitting down beside the children at PAWkids, a non-profit in the impoverished Grove Park neighborhood, here are the links to sign up.
(Description: On Wednesdays 4:00 to 6:00 pm, we do center rotations that involve activities to help our kids deal with trauma, team building, leadership skills, and creative expression.)
Family Dinner Signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D4EAFA728A7F49-family
