I know my posts have been few these past weeks. Every time I begin to write a post, my mind goes to the tragedies that have, and continue to occur, with the police officers – men and women – in our country. My heart weeps with the insanity of it all. A post on farm life, living simply, or a recipe for a cake just seems so inconsequential in comparison. But I often wonder if maybe, just maybe, it could at least be a small portion of the answer.
The Gift of Words
From birth, I was given a gift of Creativity, and part of that gift is to be able to use words in a way that can tell a story, or get a point across. Oh. How I wish that I had the words to write something – anything – that will stop this madness. But I don’t. I could blame it on our government. The media could get the blame. I could blame it on parents who didn’t care enough about their children to teach them respect for others. Pulling the race card seems to be popular. But to blame these ‘groups’ means to disparage those individuals in each category who are doing everything in their power to stop this.
There are some elected officials who find this madness abhorrent, and are struggling to vote for or against the laws that could possibly stop this. There are members of the Media that honestly try to show an unbiased view of events; whose jobs dictate they should not allow their broken hearts to show through in their reports.
There are parents who have instilled in their children respect for others, the difference between right and wrong, and have filled their hearts with love for others. There are those in every race and religion who are truly good, kind, loving people, yet are being labeled differently because of the color of their skin or the tenets of their faith, or the group they are linked with, mostly through no choice of their own.
The Real Culprits
I believe the true culprits of this horrible uprising are things that are intangible. Greed. Sensationalism. Money. Power. Control. Envy. And I believe, with all my heart, my mind, and my soul, that the worst culprit is a lack of belief, faith, and trust in God. When the powers-that-be did everything in their power to remove God from our government, our schools, our businesses, our homes – and succeeded – then we basically told Him that He wasn’t needed any more, and things began to go downhill. Fast. What we fail to see and refuse to acknowledge is that He is the ONLY one that can repair the damage.
As a member of at least one of those groups, I hurt for the police officers who have to wake up every morning, put on their uniform, and wonder if this is their day to die. My heart goes out to those families who are terrified that this is the last time they will be able to kiss/hug/love/speak to/see their loved ones. Are their last words significant enough to convey all they feel? Does the officer and the wife/child/mother/father/brother/sister/ friend feel the love they have for each other? Does dread and fear wrap around them like a straight-jacket – suffocating them until the officer walks back through the door? Regardless of these emotions, or even their race, religion, thoughts, beliefs or condition of their hearts, they step back into the line of fire – literally.
Why?
Because most of them still believe in the greater good of a safe society. Most of them have faith in the freedoms for which our country has fought – and won. They believe in, and are willing to support, the laws of our community/state/country. Quite a few of them have a heart full of compassion for those who have been victimized and or hurting. Most of them want to prevent anything bad happening to those potential victims, so they write speeding tickets, make arrests for possession of drugs and all other violations of the law.
Put yourself in their shoes. Can you imagine the dread and trepidation they must feel when they have to make just a simple traffic stop? Can you feel the steel in their bodies as they force tremors away, as they approach an armed robbery in progress? The very idea that those emotions are intensified a thousand fold today, just because they donned a target this morning called a uniform. They haven’t even stopped a vehicle. They just got dressed and got in a car. Like we do, every morning when we go to work.
I don’t have an answer. I, alone, cannot stop this travesty. But I can tell you what I feel and believe. I do not believe that any one group can be labeled because of a few bad apples. I feel that, regardless of what we believe, our government, our schools, our homes, our lives, all need to be placed back in the Hands that are truly in control.
A Simple Life
I often write about a ‘simpler life’. My topics are full of tangible things that take place on a farm – good, bad and indifferent. However, a simpler life isn’t just about growing your own food, canning, preserving and sewing your own clothes. It is about so much more than that. It is about love. Respect. Tolerance. Acceptance. A helping hand. Laughter. Joy in the small things. Less materialism, more heart. For me, 1 Thessalonians says it all – especially if you read between the lines:
“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders, and you will not be dependent on anybody.”
Although I have many favorites and do my best to live by all of them, this is the one Bible verse that speaks loudly and directly to my heart. From the first moment I began dreaming of The Farm Wife, this is the verse that spoke the loudest of everything I have set out to do in my life, and the very basis of the subject of my writing. Is it the answer? I don’t know. But to even think that, if everyone applied this verse to their daily lives our world, that it just might start making a turn for the better, is enough to put me back on my knees and praying harder for a world that is a joy to live in.
I write this for every Police Officer out there, and to their families, their friends, their supporters. I am praying for you and a better world for you and your loved ones. My heart is breaking for you. May God hold you in the palms of His hands. And I offer you the only comfort I know – Psalms 91.
You said it all so beautifully –
my thoughts completely.
I hope and pray too that all our nation’s clergy
and spiritual leaders will become a strong, guiding and comforting presence like never before.
Amen, Karen. Amen.
What a wonderful essay. You found the words that the rest of us were searching for.
Thank you, Gary. These were definitely words from the heart.
Thank you, Edie. Everything is great here. I hope life is treating you wonderfully. Miss you!
You said it perfectly, I couldn’t agree with you more. . Hope all is well.