I Owe

Nothing is more humiliating than having to ask a friend for a loan. Why do I need one? Something came up, and caught me a little short. But for that matter, doesn’t something often come up short? The mortgage and car notes, utility bills etc. It’s really embarrassing isn’t it?

Sometimes we are forced to admit that our debt occurs when we were long on luxuries, but short on necessities. Yet at a deeper level, there is a moral debt that I owe, that money cannot satisfy.

Are we reluctant to pass on the highest regard for all human life, regardless of race, creed or color? How will succeeding generations appreciate these values unless I, as an individual, live them out and pass them on?

The murder of Trayvon Martin throws the spotlights on us, showing our negligence, and the persistent racism in our country. But two months before Trayvon’s murder, Jasmine Thar, another black teenager was killed by a white neighbor in North Carolina. Read the story here: https://www.wect.com/story/17521910/parents-upset-no-charges-have-been-filed.

Four months after Jasmine’s death, the family still has no answers from local authorities. Public pressure and national outrage helped break the Martin case. It can work for Jasmine too.

Edmund Burke put his finger on our problem of moral indebtedness. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” The 17th century philosopher Voltaire made this profound statement about our moral indebtedness. “Everyone is guilty of the good they didn’t do”. Let’s inspire positive change. Let me hear from you on your next steps.

Rev. Joe Roberts