Executions

When I saw this article, I immediately knew I was going to write about it. I have no idea what drew me to it, but something within the body of this article, the subject blew me away. You can read it for yourself at http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/20/texas.execution.witness/index.html and I urge you to do so. If you don't, which I understand you may not (you lazy reader you), then in short, it tells the story of a man who has witnessed over 315 executions in the state of Texas, more than any other reporter, prison worker, or reverend in the nation. The article talks about other men who have held a candle up to the macrabe record and how the experience has radically shifted their ideaology to being against the death penalty and the strong protest they hold against it today and all the hot water they boil with their furvor today. This man, however, is different.

He holds no grudges against what he has seen. His employers have offered him therapy and counselling, and he declined them all. It turns out this is just one small aspect of his job at the Associated Press in Texas. In fact, he holds no specific opinion about the death penalty and usually flat out refuses to discuss the issue. Then why does he go to them? As he puts it, "I would hate for the state of Texas to take someone's life and no one be there." Simple. Uncomplicated. Indisputable.

And yet, few have such standards. I was watching a reality TV show where several individuals were forced into confinement and forced to live off of only the things they could find and forced to barracade themselves in a fortress- just like ever other reality game show on primetime. Later on in the show, after the original group was established, more contestants were introduced at random, without previous notification. The original group flipped out at the newcomers, ranging between beliefs of shunning them to sheltering them. Then, in the middle of this chaos and confusion, one of the less gutsy contestants opened the doors to the fortress and allowed them passage in. The group was outraged. They yelled. They screamed. They cussed. This poor guy was getting his head caved in with condemnation. When asked why he did this without the other's consent, he pathetically whined, "Because I couldn't leave those poor individuals out in the cold without food and shelter! It's just not right." Now what you might find as an act of selfless valor, I find as stupidity and humor. He risked everything for these strange people, allowing them to come in without knowing them, without even talking to them for long, and without the groups OK. Of course, this new group was eternally grateful, blah blah, it ended up for the better- whatever. Yet if this same man were in his suburban home, or driving to work in his car, would he have the same heart, or would the fact that he is now also pain and alone and homeless have aided to his compassion? Was it condtional or indisputable? Was it compassion or a hardened belief of his? Was it because he wanted to or needed to?

Here is what I am getting at- what if selfless giving is not about what we feel we should do or even want to do. What if selfless givng is all about the feeling that we need to do something. Why should we feel pity and compassion on those in need when we ourselves, suburban home or not, are just as morose and in need as those we give to? The early church had nothing to do with the format we follow today. It had no sermon, they rarely read from the scriptures since the Canon was not developed. They simply met and encouraged each other and blessed each other with giving whatever, whenever it was needed because they realized they were just as needy as anybody else on this planet. To them, it wasn't a question of comfort or desire, but it was a fact that they were compelled to help because together, nothng could tear them down.

I think we often fail to realize man's inhumanity to man. We deject the heros until we need them. We uplift the unrighteous right up until they cause harm. We refuse the rejected and give to the already blessed. Inequality is impossible when it is paraded around like a fad or a blame instead of a way of life. We also fail to realize that sometimes the most in need of our support are the ones who give the most. On behalf of all the selfless givers out there, I speak out and urge us all to band together and insure that their fight is not fought alone. They need just as much as the rest of us- we are all desperate, whether we realize it or not. In fact, all people need our compassion, including ourselves.

So just like a man who shows up to executions, let us face the shadow of the valley of death and dying with a heart that will refuse to look away. We will look upon every injustice and every misconduct and give of ourselves in every way possible not because salvation is our underlying premise, persay, or we feel that it would be a good thing to do, but because we find that we must not look away. Let us not leave any person, whether worthy or not, whether kind or not, whether beaten, rude, crass, evil, malice, or vile, let us not leave one person alone in the face of judgemet. We all deserve nothing. Yet one man hung on the cross and instead of simply being there for us, he actually took on our execution in return for love. So here's to learning what love is, even if it breaks our hearts at times. Here's to never leaving someone alone to face the chair by themselves. Here's to what love really looks like.

KB