what is the content of your heart?

My heart is heavy, my spirit hurts, and I am simply being worn down by the sad events that have hit the St. Louis Metro area.  The sadness from Ferguson is overwhelming.  This area is a bunch of smaller communities that have basically blended together into a larger city... each retains it's own individuality, it's own personal flavor but we are really all basically the same family.

a bit of beauty in the darkness

And like most families we have our nuts, our success stories, our flaws and our beauty.  Sometimes all in the same area or group of people all at the same time.  Sometimes not so much.

Over the weekend a young man lost his life.  An officer made a decision that altered the course of many lives, his own included.  We don't know the cause, we don't know the reason, we don't basically have any information other than that.  Two men, and I'm sorry but at 18 you are a man - not a child, made some type of decisions that have had a tsunami effect on an entire community and those surrounding it.

A shooting in this area is not a random, nor rare occurrence. Sadly, it's part of the city that has many shootings and deaths.  More last night.  What made this one a catalyst for the wanton destruction and chaos that has ensued... one can only guess.  Innocence children have been shot, elderly sitting at home have been shot and killed, the riots haven't ensued in those cases?  There was no looting, no destruction, no insanity in those cases.

There hasn't even been enough time to conduct a proper investigation.  Maybe the officer jumped to conclusions, maybe he is completely at fault... I don't know, I wasn't there.   But calling for him to be fired and indicted for murder before any investigation can happen seems to me to be circumventing the law.  If the kid had lived and killed the cop, would this all have happened?

Maybe that "kid" wasn't as pure, good and wholesome as they want you to believe... maybe his own actions led to his death.  Tragic and sad, but definitely a possibility. I read something last night, I didn't research it, so I am not prepared to say it was or wasn't something... But given the way things have been for a long time in North County... well... just maybe he wasn't as pure as the driven snow.

There are too many unknowns, there are too many things being destroyed that are delaying a quick investigation...

I am prayerful that the police officer has been relieved of duty while the whole situation is being investigated. And that if it is found that he was grossly negligent that he is punished to the full extent of the law.

My heart is struggling with what is going on...

What does it solve to riot, loot and destroy?  Does that bring back to life a young man?  Sadly so many of those involved are outsiders, they don't belong to that community.  Nine have been arrested so far, not one of those nine live in that community, they took advantage of a bad situation.  We have outsiders coming in and leading protests, assuming that nothing is being done.

Here's a thought Mr. Sharpton and all those others... why don't you wait until the case has even been investigated, and then if it seems to be biased or unprofessional, then lead your protests, make your demands.  Until then... well how about we follow the same laws that should apply to everyone.  It would be wonderful if the Alderman stirring this hornets nest would stop.  I am not even sure if he is their Alderman, fairly sure he isn't...

I am going to continue to pray for those innocent people that are having to survive this mess.

I am going to continue to feel our media needs to stop being biased for once. For once that they will allow the truth, and nothing but the truth to pass their lips.

And I am going to continue to pray, that the ignorance that is fueling this mess stops.  I don't care about the color of your skin, I don't care who you pray to, I don't care who you love... there are many, many things I couldn't care less about... what I do care about is the content of your heart.

I am going to continue to pray for those brave loving souls that are spending their days repairing what those with the darkness in their hearts spend their nights destroying.

I hope this resolves soon, I would hate for the world to know our area based on the ignorant, hatred driven people that are showing out for the world.

As I bow my head to pray, I hope others are doing the same.  We alone can change the course of the world. I don't care who you are praying to... but show love and goodness instead of hatred and bigotry.