A week ago a young man was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. This incident has gained attention around the world because of the amount of turmoil that has occurred since the event: stores have been looted, a Quick Trip was burned down, state and national leaders have come to speak about the events, large crowds of people have gathered late into the night, the police have used military equipment to help control the situation, and more.
There is a lot of anger in our city, and it's not just a new event; this is an old problem with new circumstances.
The parents of the young man are angry because their son is dead, and he had no weapons when he was killed. The police are angry that the crowds of people gather late into the night and it is hard to control. The crowds of people are angry that the police officer who shot the young man has not been arrested. Local businesses are angry that their stores are being robbed and destroyed by the angry crowds. Citizens of the area are angry that the police are not more organized with different departments arguing about who is responsible for different matters: city police, country police, state troopers, and maybe even the FBI. Leaders of the city, state, and country are angry that this is getting out of control. There is a lot of anger.
Behind all this is a deeper problem; behind the anger is a lack of trust. In all those examples of anger are groups of people who do not trust other groups of people. People who do not trust each other can either fight about their problems and become angry, or they can hide their anger and allow bitterness and resentment to build within them.
There is a lot of anger in our city, and it's because there are a lot of people with a lot of bitterness and resentment because there is a lack of trust.
So if the problem goes back to a lack of trust, then trust should be the remedy for this ailment. But how is that possible? How do people who don't trust each other start trusting each other? How do angry people trust the object of their anger? This would seem almost impossible, if not completely unthinkable.
Even the best and most honest people will disappoint because they are human, sinful, and bound to lose trust. Now there are a lot of deep wounds that exist and I do not claim to know how to fix all of the pain and anger, but I do know the first step to fixing all the pain and anger: putting our trust in God.
The problem is not trusting, not even trusting ourselves. On one hand there are many people who think they need to do something to fix the problem, but anger rises when they realize that what they are doing won't be able to solve the problem. They can't trust the other side to fix the problem, but they can't trust themselves to fix the problem, either. They know the problem is bigger than either side, but God is bigger than both.
We have this natural tendency of thinking that if we try hard enough, we can fix our problems. We look to ourselves for an answer to problems that have existed longer than our lifespan. The devil continually works to make us think that this life is all about us and we need to get what we can while we can, but this is a dead end, a painful trap.
2 Corinthians 4:4New International Version (NIV)
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Sin is the problem, and Jesus is the answer, but the devil (god of this age) tries to keep us from seeing that. The power is not us - the power is within us, the life of Jesus inside of us. Only Jesus working in the hearts of people in Ferguson, or anywhere else, will be able to do more than put a band-aid on a severed limb, do more than just pretend to fix the problem for a short while by burying the mistrust in layers of bitterness and resentment.
It's hard to know what will happen in the days and weeks ahead, but I pray that people look past themselves for the an answer, and look within themselves to the life of Jesus within them. With God as the center of our lives as Christians, we do not lose heart - he is in control.
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