Susan LaffertyRunaway prophet. Jonah.
Flees something more than a hard assignment. And this catches my eye.
After the storm at sea. After the big fish swallows him whole. After his vow to obey this time.
Even after he proclaims God’s message. To the great city of Nineveh.
He’s still running. From the heart of the One who comes to seek and to save the lost.
The commandments given are plain. Straightforward.
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength, and with all your mind,’
and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’.”
Luke 10:27
Love the Lord with all that I am. Yes! And love my neighbor. Of course.
But, uh, by the way. Who is my neighbor?
This past week, I sit numb. Shaken. Shocked by sheer brutality.
And cry out for the ones who can’t breathe.
Weep for those with necks slammed against asphalt under the knee of racism. Relentless, insidious racism. Again and again.
The snake slithers. Just beneath the surface of society. Often hidden in the dark. Feeding pride and arrogance. Fear. Prejudice.
Injustice.
