What Do You Believe? (And Will You Hold On To It?)

“Those who stand in the middle of the road get run over” – Joyce Meyer

Everyone believes something. However you might never know what you believe until what you believe is tested. The test might come in different ways. The threat of the loss of a job, the threat of the loss of our life or that of a loved one. No matter the method the threat comes in, it causes us to really think about what we say we believe. At that point we evaluate what we say we believe and we weigh the perceived consequences of holding on to that belief against the perceived benefits. If we believe the perceived consequences outweigh the perceived benefits, we stop holding on to that belief. We let go of the belief like a man letting go of something in his hand. Please note that I used the word perceived. The perception of the worth of a belief, the way we view it, would determine whether or not we hold on to it.

When I was younger I remember reading the story of the faith of a dying family which led to the conversion of another man. During one of the numerous wars of the 20^th century, a family was rounded up, a father, mother and two children. The father was given an option. Renounce his faith in Jesus or they would all be killed. A whole was dug in the ground by the soldiers and the family was placed standing in the whole and the soldiers began to replace the dirt. The children began crying as the dirt reached their ankles, then their waist then it got up to their necks. Just before the children got buried, the wife began shouting at the husband to recant. He shushed her and then began singing a hymn. The other members of the family joined it till they were all buried. One of the soldiers who took part in the act was so moved by the faith shown by the father and the rest of the family that he later gave his life to Christ. I assure you it’s a true story. I believe the soldier wrote a book about the experience that I read.

Sadly we probably think that we live in a world where those choices are no longer required. I think we need to have a rethink if that’s the way we feel. I recently read an article by Todd Starnes of Fox News. According to the article, a Christian organisation was referred to as a hate group and soldiers were told to report other soldiers who were sympathetic to the organisation. Sadly, I think it’s going to get worse. I believe that thanks to the perceived support they have received from the words of their commander-in-chief, some people now believe it’s open season on Christians and Christianity. I believe people who say they are Christians, not only in the army but in all walks of life are going to be tested regarding what they say they believe. And the perception they have about the belief they say they hold will determine whether they hold on to it. There will be no middle road.     

JC Cruz is the author of DECEPTIO published by WestBowPress, a division of Thomas Nelson publishers.http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU000194087/Deceptio.aspx and LOST, BUT FOUND available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPLLEUQ/. You can follow him @Cruz_JCReal

Why I Think George Zimmerman Is Guilty

Trayvon Martin is dead. The man who shot and killed him, George Zimmerman is a free man, acquitted of all charges by a jury comprised of six wise women who are his peers. They say they acquitted him after considering all the facts in light of the stand your ground law in Florida. The people of Sandford and the state of Florida have in effect told us that George Zimmerman lawfully and legally killed Trayvon Martin because Zimmerman was afraid for his life. They have told us that Goerge Zimmerman did the right thing in shooting to death an unarmed seventeen year old boy. What this means is that Trayvon Martin was at fault for his own death. As I write, Trayvon Martin’s parents are still searching for justice for their slain son. Whether they will ever find it is extremely unlikely.

Zimmerman’s lawyers took pains to stress that there was no racial profiling involved in their client’s decision to accost Martin. According to them, Martin was wearing a hoodie and therefore looked suspicious. The hoodie apparently was the favourite attire of gang members in the area so Zimmerman honestly felt that Martin was out to commit a crime. This is beyond belief. A top with a hoodie is an article of clothing and nothing more. A lot of colleges and high schools in America issue tops with hoodies with the college logo to their students. Some of my favourite bands like Kutless sell tops with hoodies as band merchandise. Are we then saying that because a top with a hoodie is the favourite attire of gang members then anyone who wears one must be a gang member? In my personal opinion, I do not believe it was the hoodie alone that lead to Zimmerman deeming that Martin looked suspicious. It is my personal opinion and belief that it was Martin’s colour in conjunction with the hoodie that led to him being accosted.

Whether or not Zimmerman racially profiled Martin is something we’ll probably never know. While racism is a terrible thing, President Obama has recently spoken of his own experiences of racism as an African American so it’s nothing new. For me, the issue of race though important, is not the most essential aspect of the case. In life, we are given different instructions and we are expected to obey them. A child is instructed by the parents not to speak to or accept a gift from strangers. We are told to look left, right and left again when crossing the street. A soldier in Afghanistan or a policeman in New York knows that obeying an instruction could be the difference between him living or dying or putting his colleagues at risk. Forget about the gung-ho policeman in Lethal Weapon who won’t wait for back up because he doesn’t want the bad guys to escape or he wants the glory. That’s a film. In real life, not waiting for back up could be fatal. In life, an instruction is not meant for your safety alone. It’s also meant for the safety of the other people involved. I'm sure no pedestrian wants to be the reason why a motorist swerves into building or wraps his car around a lamp post.

We all know that Zimmerman was told by the police not to get out of his car or accost Martin. He did both. I personally have not heard anything about the number of robberies, murders, burglaries or muggings that Zimmerman personally stopped by reporting suspicious individuals or accosting them. So why did Zimmerman leave his car to accost Martin? Did he have some super hero complex? It’s likely he did. Did he think he could over power Martin if things got rough? Maybe he thought so. But I don’t think those were the main reason. In my personal opinion, the main reason Zimmerman stepped out of his car that fateful night was because he was packing. He had a gun and he knew how to use it. The question then is, did Zimmerman leave the safety of his with the express intention of killing Martin? No, I personally do not think so. However, by his own admission, he thought Martin looked suspicious. Zimmerman stepped out of his car that night and took his gun with him. In my personal opinion, he took the gun with him because somewhere at the back of his mind, he had every intention of using the gun if the need arose.

A juror in the matter has told us about how the jury felt Zimmerman feared for his life. I must state here that I find Juror-B37’s references to Martin and Jentzel repugnant in the extreme. I also find it strange that she seems to have a very friendly outlook toward Zimmerman evidenced by the way she kept referring to him by his first name. In my opinion, Zimmerman set off the chain of events which culminated in Martin’s death when he disobeyed the instruction of the police and stepped out of his car. He would not have had to be afraid for his life if he had just stayed in the car. For me, at that point, he became guilty of the death of Martin.

If Zimmerman was a policeman or a member of any of the armed forces, he would probably face some internal administrative panel to answer for his disobedience. Unlike what happened in court, I doubt if he would have got off so lightly. But he’s not. So he walks away a free man without any care in the world or having to answer to anybody for his actions. The state of New York via its Supreme Court told us child pornography is not a crime. Now the state of Florida in conjunction with Sandford have told us loud and clear that it doesn’t matter if you kill an unarmed seventeen year old boy, even if you were the one that initiated the confrontation that led to the boy’s death as long you were afraid for your life.

Dr. Mike Murdoch is one of the greatest teachers with regard to understanding and applying wisdom to everyday living. According to him, the instructions you obey determine your future. By disobeying an instruction, Zimmerman cut short Martin’s life. However, he has created a future for himself. He will forever be known as the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in cold blood. I hope that’s something he can live with.