As you read this it will have been nearly a week since the verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman has been read. In just the short day and a half that has gone by as I write this, many thoughts have raced through my head about the case and trial. And I believe no matter where you stand on the issue, there are several things clear about this entire tragedy. 1-A precious life is gone from this world. 2- Even as the evidence found him not guilty by rule of law a man will have to live with his choices from that night for the rest of his life. 3-Both Martin and Zimmerman believed they were in the right. Both men thought they were on the side of good. And neither of them got what they wanted. Both came up empty. Martin is dead. Zimmerman’s neighborhood is no safer.
Where do we go from here? I don’t have the answer to that. But I do know our response should begin and end with love. So as you form your mind and conversations on the entire ordeal, consider Paul’s words on love;
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV).
Just as both of the men involved thought they were on the side of good, even the best intentioned of responses to this tragedy are a resounding gong without love.
Be a witness,
Nate