I apologize for being MIA for a while. If you are a regular reader to my blog, you may recall that in my last post I wrote about my husband falling in a parking lot and the kindness shown to us by strangers. My husband had hip surgery and is now recuperating at home. Which means I’m extremely busy. But I had to take a little time off to offer my condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd and especially to his little daughter, who, years from now, may not remember what her father looked like, but she will wonder why he was taken from her so soon.
The murder of George Floyd by police so jolted the nation and the world that for the first time in months we heard very little about COVID-19. It was as if it never existed, and we were only reminded of it when we saw people on TV wearing masks, or when we ourselves had to don ours. Our brain stores a lot of events, good as well as bad. They only resurface when another similar event occurs, but, I believe the murder of George Floyd by police, coming in the midst of a pandemic, will remain in the forefront of our minds for a long time to come.
So, why the header? What is there to rejoice about? Can Floyd’s family and friends rejoice? Can the families of those innocent black people who were killed by police in recent times rejoice every time the latest slaying rips the wounds of their own painful memories wide open? Yet, the Bible says we are to rejoice in all things. Here is how Paul puts it in Philippians 4: 4 -9: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
We cannot rejoice when our hearts are bleeding, but we can rejoice in the Lord, knowing that He hears our prayers, sees our tears and will deal with our situation in His way and in His time. As Joseph said in Genesis 50: 20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” George Floyd’s death, sad and painful though it is, is not in vain. God will see us through this.