As a boy growing up in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I learned early on what the state flag looked like. I don’t remember pledging allegiance to it as we did with the American flag, but I do remember that it symbolized what home was to me. For those unfamiliar with it, the flag contains the motto “Sic Semper Tyrannis”, which means ‘thus always to tyrants”. It contains the picture of a woman who has apparently slain a man of royalty, as his crown lays near him on the ground. A broken chain of oppression and tyranny is still in his hand. As I learned about history in school, I found out why this flag was important as it represented our dissent to the crown of England. I learned the reason why there were 50 stars on the American Flag and 13 stripes composed of red and white. I learned that we fought against our home nation to get away from a government that told us what the official religion should be. A government that wanted to tell us what to do and not give us representation at the same time. It is hard to be loyal to a government that will not allow you to have a voice, or will not represent your voice as you had thought they would.
Visiting some of the hallowed hills and once bloodied battlefields, I saw different flags used in a war over state’s rights and slavery. I was told that it was fought mainly to maintain a way of life for people of the South. But there were many who did not fight to keep slaves, because they had none. There were in fact many that fought because their hometowns, communities and states needed them. Much like our loyalty to our favorite college teams, these men and their families made a stand for their sovereign states. Then there were many who viewed the war as a fight against slavery and so they went and joined ranks with the Northern armies. Several states and pockets of the country did not want a fight at all. But my homeland fought. They fought because they were invaded. They fought for their God-given freedom to own land and work it. And yes, sadly, some fought to keep slavery intact. See, the fight is not always about one issue only. There were blacks who fought on both sides, because they chose to do so. There were blacks who fought on both sides because they were promised freedom after the war. Nothing is as simple as the history books try to make it out to be. There are people, ideologies and emotions involved. There were blacks who were mistreated badly. There were some free blacks in the North who were grabbed and sent to the South to be enslaved. There were slave owners who mistreated their slaves badly. There were those who treated them with dignity and respect. Nothing is simple and every issue is complicated.
Nowadays, we have flags for different issues. Some have turned an old war flag into a symbol of hatred because of some who have chosen to view it, identify it and display it that way. A different flag has been raised representing those who want to be recognized for their lifestyle and want equal rights under the law. The Supreme Court has just granted them that right and equal protection under the law. Their flag is that of a rainbow. We have many flags in our society that have support and opposition. The internet has been lit up this last weekend with many opposing views. Tolerance and intolerance come from the same sides. People are emotional, passionate and in some cases unkind. Black churches are burning to keep hate alive and aflame after the Emanuel 9 have been taken from us. Sodom and Gomorrah are on people’s lips along with “Love the Sinner but Hate the Sin”. Meanwhile, who is examining themselves before speaking? God hates all sin and sent His One and Only Son to come and Die on a Cross of Wood for all of it! Not just particular ones that we may not commit. A heart check is in order, starting with me! Instead of seeking the Lord, while He may be found, we want to assume future events will happen a certain way, our country is doomed or at least on the decline. But Christ’s message has always been the same: He came not for those who are well but those who are sick, and we should be helping to bring them to the infirmary where the Healer can satisfy all of their needs.
We each carry flags around. Things that mean a lot to us, that we are passionate about. Oh, maybe we don’t hold them up high literally, but on the inside we do. There are things that we will not tolerate and things that we have no problem letting others know what we think about. We can even be up in arms over these things. Holding onto convictions and beliefs are not the problem, but how we go about letting others know where we stand can be. In the words of Jesus brother, James, let us be “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires” (James 1:19-20).
As we grow up and learn to define the things that are important to us, they become a part of us like our core values or our heritage and ancestry. But please, let us remember that there are those who are not going to agree with us. I do not suggest here that we should be politically correct, but I also do not believe that we should be aggressive to the point of not caring about another’s belief or point of view. Remember, Love wins converts, not judgement. Maybe instead of lifting our flags, we should be lifting up our crosses. Maybe we should find pride in the Banner of Love that He holds over us. Maybe we should lay down our rights and follow Paul’s exhortation: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3-5). If we think of others and what they may be feeling, we may find within ourselves some pride and areas where we are just being selfish. Sometimes it is better to let things go than to have an argument over something that we know we are not going to agree on. Let us remember as we examine ourselves and think of others that we are doing it because Christ commands it. “Love your neighbor as yourself” Luke 10:27.
Visiting some of the hallowed hills and once bloodied battlefields, I saw different flags used in a war over state’s rights and slavery. I was told that it was fought mainly to maintain a way of life for people of the South. But there were many who did not fight to keep slaves, because they had none. There were in fact many that fought because their hometowns, communities and states needed them. Much like our loyalty to our favorite college teams, these men and their families made a stand for their sovereign states. Then there were many who viewed the war as a fight against slavery and so they went and joined ranks with the Northern armies. Several states and pockets of the country did not want a fight at all. But my homeland fought. They fought because they were invaded. They fought for their God-given freedom to own land and work it. And yes, sadly, some fought to keep slavery intact. See, the fight is not always about one issue only. There were blacks who fought on both sides, because they chose to do so. There were blacks who fought on both sides because they were promised freedom after the war. Nothing is as simple as the history books try to make it out to be. There are people, ideologies and emotions involved. There were blacks who were mistreated badly. There were some free blacks in the North who were grabbed and sent to the South to be enslaved. There were slave owners who mistreated their slaves badly. There were those who treated them with dignity and respect. Nothing is simple and every issue is complicated.
Nowadays, we have flags for different issues. Some have turned an old war flag into a symbol of hatred because of some who have chosen to view it, identify it and display it that way. A different flag has been raised representing those who want to be recognized for their lifestyle and want equal rights under the law. The Supreme Court has just granted them that right and equal protection under the law. Their flag is that of a rainbow. We have many flags in our society that have support and opposition. The internet has been lit up this last weekend with many opposing views. Tolerance and intolerance come from the same sides. People are emotional, passionate and in some cases unkind. Black churches are burning to keep hate alive and aflame after the Emanuel 9 have been taken from us. Sodom and Gomorrah are on people’s lips along with “Love the Sinner but Hate the Sin”. Meanwhile, who is examining themselves before speaking? God hates all sin and sent His One and Only Son to come and Die on a Cross of Wood for all of it! Not just particular ones that we may not commit. A heart check is in order, starting with me! Instead of seeking the Lord, while He may be found, we want to assume future events will happen a certain way, our country is doomed or at least on the decline. But Christ’s message has always been the same: He came not for those who are well but those who are sick, and we should be helping to bring them to the infirmary where the Healer can satisfy all of their needs.
We each carry flags around. Things that mean a lot to us, that we are passionate about. Oh, maybe we don’t hold them up high literally, but on the inside we do. There are things that we will not tolerate and things that we have no problem letting others know what we think about. We can even be up in arms over these things. Holding onto convictions and beliefs are not the problem, but how we go about letting others know where we stand can be. In the words of Jesus brother, James, let us be “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires” (James 1:19-20).
As we grow up and learn to define the things that are important to us, they become a part of us like our core values or our heritage and ancestry. But please, let us remember that there are those who are not going to agree with us. I do not suggest here that we should be politically correct, but I also do not believe that we should be aggressive to the point of not caring about another’s belief or point of view. Remember, Love wins converts, not judgement. Maybe instead of lifting our flags, we should be lifting up our crosses. Maybe we should find pride in the Banner of Love that He holds over us. Maybe we should lay down our rights and follow Paul’s exhortation: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3-5). If we think of others and what they may be feeling, we may find within ourselves some pride and areas where we are just being selfish. Sometimes it is better to let things go than to have an argument over something that we know we are not going to agree on. Let us remember as we examine ourselves and think of others that we are doing it because Christ commands it. “Love your neighbor as yourself” Luke 10:27.
RSS Feed
