Many people in our world—and certainly in our deeply troubled and divisive nation—are witnessing and suffering from undeniable, heart-rending horrors. In Minneapolis, Minn., brave residents, including church leaders, are trying, at great risk, to protest and protect their neighbors from the harsh, lethal tactics of U.S. Immigrant & Customs Enforcement agents. Those tactics have forced many to grieve the brutal killings of Renee Nicole Good, a wife and mother of three, and Alex Pretti, a VA Hospital nurse--both kindhearted citizens who were trying to help others.
Jesus grieved the brutal beheading of his dear cousin John, who baptized him but was later executed for his courage by King Herod Antipas. Jesus knew that he too would soon give his life as a victim of execution by Pontius Pilate. And the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. faced increasing threats to his life in his last days, as he planned another March on Washington, tried to help oppressed sanitation laborers in Memphis, Tenn., and bravely advocated against the U.S. war in Vietnam.
Both men of mercy ignored their own suffering to minister to multitudes of people who needed their strength and service. And like Paul the Apostle, both men likely found glory in their sufferings, because they knew that "suffering produces perseverance; perseverance reveals character; and character inspires hope...the hope of glory that God promises to people of strong faith and selfless love.
They knew what the faithful, loving, courageous people of Minneapolis know: that what the Lord requires of us all is simply to "do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8)