Casandra Martin

This week our hearts weep with the people of Charleston, South Carolina. A man walked into a church, sat in a Bible study, and then murdered nine people. It is the stuff of nightmares. Within hours, authorities named this atrocity a hate crime. It is, no doubt, a crime driven by hate. Violence of this kind is always a hate crime. It doesn’t matter what your age, gender, race, or background, when this type of violence erupts, hate is the explosive behind the desperation and fear.

Christians have a unique opportunity as the news cycles and the world watches. This event can be defined by the hatred of one man or the love of Another. We can surround the community reeling from terrible loss with prayer or with rhetoric. We can love our neighbors or look at each other with suspicion. We can shake our heads while closing our doors or we can open our hearts while joining our hands. We can hold a grudge or do the impossible and love our enemy. Justice is necessary. Accountability is a must, but forgiveness is what will transform this tragedy into something that will speak to the world.

My Jesus Resolution today is to stand up and offer love, unlimited. It would feel safer to hide. It would be easier to cluck my tongue, shake my head, and wonder out loud where this world is headed. But Jesus doesn’t call me to safer and easier. He challenges me to answer hate with His love, fear with faith, violence with peace, and suspicion with an invitation to transformation. Wouldn’t it be something if this sad moment could be defined by the unity and love of Christians around the country rather than the misdirected hatred of one man?