Relief...

Hello, friends! 

I have a few different news apps on my phone so I can keep up with current events. On Tuesday afternoon, I got multiple notifications that the jury had reached a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd. More or less, the rest of my work day was kind of shot. 

The verdict was supposed to be read between 3:30 and 4pm Central time, so right about then, I left our home office and went upstairs. I folded some laundry, texted a friend who I knew was following the case closely, and watched the network news waiting for the verdict to be announced. A few minutes past 4, the verdict was announced: Guilty, guilty, guilty...

At that moment, I didn't feel joy or happiness. A man was going to go to prison for potentially a long time and I have trouble being happy about that. I didn't feel a sense of accomplishment or finality because Derek Chauvin going to prison doesn't bring back George Floyd and one (or three) guilty verdicts doesn't fix policing in America. When I heard the verdict, the one emotion I felt over all others was relief. 

My mind immediately went back to where I was in November of 2014 when a grand jury decided to not indict officer Darren Wilson in the death of Mike Brown. Megan and I were back in California, visiting family for Thanksgiving. We had just found out a few weeks prior that she was pregnant with Ezra. I remember watching the news with my family, hearing the non-indictment decision, and feeling like I needed to go for a walk, punch a wall, and scream at the exact same time. The prospect of justice seemed so far away. Hope wasn't even on my radar then. On Tuesday, it was.  

Before the verdict was read, I was so nervous. The default setting has to be the assumption of an acquittal or non-indictment because that's the norm. If it wasn't for a bystander taking cellphone video of the Derek Chauvin's knee on the back of George Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes, the police report of "Man dies of medical incident while in custody" would have been the accepted story and life would have moved on. After 3 weeks of testimony and dozens of witnesses, including fellow officers, saying that what Chauvin did was unacceptable and not part of the training, there was still doubt in my mind that a conviction would come. Why? Because very rarely does a conviction come. But this time it came. 

So, what do we do now? Now, we continue to fight for justice and reform. Some may say that this verdict shows that the system works. I say it's the exception that proves the rule. With all the evidence available, again, including 10 minutes of video, there was still no sure thing because we still have a lot of work to do. 

You've probably noticed that in the past few years, I've been speaking out more about issues of social justice, particularly around issues of race. Some of you may be asking yourselves what any of this has to do with my job as a missionary and sharing the Gospel. The truth is that this has everything to do with the Gospel. When Christ died for us and rose again, he commissioned us to go make disciples, or followers of Jesus. Jesus cared about justice. He cared about the least of these. He came to Earth to set the captives free and liberate the oppressed. Fighting for a more just and equitable society is an extension of following Jesus. He didn't die for my sins just so I could go to heaven when I die. His Holy Spirit is empowering me to be a part of the Body that brings heaven on earth. Tuesday's verdict was a relief but there's still work to be done. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam