Chapel 6.21.18

Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done, and breathe out violence against me. Ps 27:12 (NLT98)

In this month of June, I have been lied to and lied about. It’s unusual yet significant to me because I react strongly to lies. For the most part, lies don’t cross over into my personal space very often. I recognize that we live in a society that seems to allow untruths to run rampant sometimes with wild abandon. And unfettered, they seem to be supported by those whose living in them promotes individual comforts, ensures their privilege and undergirds their places in power paradigms.

“Do not let me fall into their hands.”

This request speaks to unknown places of no return; of the unforeseen consequences of life. It describes an unexpected circumstance based in and fueled by deceit. It is the cry of the unprotected.

“They accuse me of things I’ve never done and breathe out violence against me.”

It is the cry of black and brown skinned people gunned down without recrimination.

It is the cry of little ones too young to speak – too innocent to know what’s going on.

It is the cry from within the diversity of Creation - from those whom the majority would rather not claim or acknowledge.

As we continue to consider our own breath, let us also consider the breath that convicts us.