July 6, 2023

Scripture: Psalm 146:8 – “The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.”

What it means

The middle statement in this, “the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down”, can also be translated “those who are oppressed, or downtrodden, or beaten down by the world.” There are many in this world who are simply not given a fair shake at life in many ways…I have heard. I happen to be a rich white male, so I have no frame of reference as to what that looks like/feels like. Those who happen to have a darker shade of skin, or less education, or less influence in the world – those are the ones who tend to be overlooked and ignored at best…or brutally beaten down and shoved to the side at worst. The playing field is definitely not level for all of us, and that’s just not right – but it is the reality in which we live in.

What it means

I have a new co-worker who is female and African-American. She has many bumper stickers on her car – among them is one that simply says “I don’t care what the bible says.” As a rich white male, I was offended when I saw this – how dare she blaspheme God’s Holy Word! Who does she think she is? But pretty quickly after that, God quietly spoke to me… “Brian, who do you thinkyou are? You don’t even know her story, do you?” And it began to slowly seep into my conscience… maybe her beef wasn’t specifically with the bible and its contents, but the manner in which it may have been shoved down her throat by someone else who doesn’t know her story. I don’t know – but hopefully I can find out. I haven’t been able to pluck up the courage to strike up a conversation with her yet…truth be told, I’ve actually changed the path to my office for the sole purpose of avoiding her because of my self-righteousness. But that needs to change – like much of the world, I need to come to the realization that God lifts up those who are bowed down, even if they may not always say or do the same safe things that I do. They are just as much a child of God as I will ever be…may this be the wakeup call that I need. I hope you’ll join me and hold me accountable to being more compassionate and understanding to those who need it the most.

Love you guys, see you Sunday!

In Christ,

Brian