Does it matter which country this was taken? Does it matter whether they are white or black? Does it matter?
It only matters so we could not forget and be merciful.
Writing
Neither Death nor Life Romans 8:38
For I Am Persuaded – Oil
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Not By Might Nor Power but by the Spirit
Laying Down of Your Life
Before you consider laying your life down for your fellow man, consider laying yourself down daily in the small things of life.
Our need to be first overrides our sensibilities resulting in the small infractions of life. Stepping aside for someone on the same small sidewalk or pavement instead of fighting for the narrow space could be one.
Walking behind a car at the light instead of in front of it, could save the driver time wasted, waiting for you to cross on foot in front of the car. It might delay you two seconds but it gives you the opportunity to allow someone the advantage over you for a few seconds.
When standing in line and searching for your money, you could step aside for the next person who is ready with wallet and cash. It might hinder your progress but it is worth setting someone ahead to curb your need to be first.
Small things, daily encounters in life are the practice grounds for the laying down of your life if it ever comes up. One baby step at a time.
Ravi Zacharias tells the Story of Andre Stamos
“In 1945, at the age of 20, he was captured by the Soviets and incarcerated. After some years of imprisonment, he was believed to have gone insane and, therefore, was transferred to a psychiatric ward in solitary confinement, 300 miles outside of Moscow. In 2000, when the Russians were trying to empty out their prisons and psychiatric wards, they brought a Hungarian psychiatrist to examine this man.
The psychiatrist examined Stamos for a few hours and concluded, “This man is not insane. In fact, it is you who are driving him insane. He is not talking nonsense. Rather, he is speaking a rare dialect of Hungarian.” As soon as he was released, the first thing Stamos asked to see was a mirror. He had not seen himself for 55 years; he had been 20 years old when he last saw his face. Now at 75, he looked at the mirror, put his face in his hands, and sobbed uncontrollably like a little baby, because of what had happened to him. To go through most of life without knowing what you look like is nearly unimaginable to us Americans. “
Our simple freedom of looking in the mirror to see our face should not be taken for granted. Our ability to pick up the Bible and read the word of God should not be taken for granted. Life is nothing without following the Lord.