September 2020

“What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”– Micah 6:8

In our current times, we may find it challenging to embody the Michelle Obama mantra of, “When they go low, we go high.” As we are faced with racism, civil unrest, COVID-19 cases surging, and what seems to be a divided nation, it is not easy to maintain a sense of hope of a better tomorrow.  A similar scenario was in the time of the Israelites as the prophet Micah is speaking to them. There has been so much calamity and disaster until the people were willing to sacrifice their first-born children to try and appease God in hopes that the suffering would stop. God, through Micah, made it clear that God was not interested in sacrifice as a sacrifice in the past did not work. God did not want human sacrifice, as life is a gift.

 Instead, God said, I would rather you do this: do justice. Doing justice means “when they go low, we go high.” We maintain in the state of chaos character, integrity, and be the moral compass for those around us. We are to be an example of what justice should look like in hopes to inspire others to be. The next is to do love and kindness as a verb and not a noun. The late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated: “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”  Our actions with each other must be of love and kindness, even when they do not deserve either. To love those who treat us right is easy, but to love those who mistreat is not easy. The action of love and kindness can change hearts and minds. Lastly, walk humbly with your God. If we question this gift of life, let us answer it by asking ourselves, are we walking in the way that is pleasing to our God? Are we “being” the example the world needs to see to understand we are all made in the image of God? Therefore, no one is above the other. We are ALL loved by God, our creator. As we navigate life in these moments of darkness, let us not lose hope or compromise our character. Let us be humble: have the courage to speak the truth in love.

Blessings,

Reverend Takana L. Jefferson, Chaplain, United States Navy