AM~Erica Wonders What is Really Being Protested

So anyway...

ALL of America needs to take note: Racism runs in all directions. The moment you are willing & ready to throw out the race card at any given circumstance...then the label goes on you, too. This was not a white vs black case. The accused was bi-racial. Half of one race & half of another constitutes bi-racial...regardless of the mixed races. And it was not a stand your ground case...it was self defense. The justice system spoke. The jury weighed evidence given to them. No racism/hate crime was ever considered...and neither was stand your ground.

Even though a 17 yo guy (yes...I said 'guy', not "child") was killed, in many states he's considered an adult. If the tables had been turned, he would have been tried as an adult. By that time in school, they are considered young men & young women. Trust me...I know they are still minors & not legal adults...but the system is broken in this case.

It is tragic no matter how you look at it. None of it should have happened. There is absolutely no winners in this case...and absolutely no one was innocent.

But...if you want the race thing to be leveled out...quit being so quick to jump to it as being a reason right off the bat. It happens too often. But that goes for ALL sides! It's sad when bad & ugly stereotypes get lifted up. Do something better with yourselves & treat others the way you want to be treated. If groups got together to uplift the acquitted side for wrong reasons...don't be upset.

Get over yourselves. Move on! EVERYONE!!!!!! Hug it out and tear up your race card.

The whole thing is very sad...all the way around. It's tiring hearing the whineyness from any side of it. It's done. There are stereotypes within all races! The question is...do you fall into one of the stereotypes? Or can you actually be yourself to let others see the real you? Regardless of background, skin color, living situations, family...whatever! Rise above & be the better person. And stop & think if you are standing for what is really right...or a blind cause.

Equality comes when we all work together as one unit...not the constant divisiveness at any & every turn. How do we get past that?

There's something for all of us to think about. Because it doesn't bring back a 17yo young man. He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in the wrong mindset as he sadly fell into a stereotype of older teenagers/young adults who had been breaking into this neighborhood.

But take note that it was never OK for the accused to get out of his car when told not too...with a weapon designed to kill. NONE of it should have happened!

So stop taking sides & figure out how to come together already, America!

Now the question is: Does it start with you?

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

** Notice I didn't use either of the names in the case? We are all either of those people at any given time! I used their names before...but this is now beyond them. It's about us as a people...AMERICAN PEOPLE!

AM~Erica Gets Out and Away from Darkness

This is not a typical post. I will not be openly sharing this. But, if you do come across this post, then I hope someone learns from it.

It began with my opening blog post of the year (HERE), and it has led to this. Please pray for this situation.

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I am thankful that God blessed me & led me out of the darkness I was living in. I have seen the light and recognize where the shadows lie. Now that I have seen & been in the light, and though those living in the darkness attempt to beckon me back into the ways of the shadows, I must resist that kind of black hole. If I drift back into that dark shadow, I will trip & fall from the blindness.

I continue to pray that I am continually led down the glistening and well-lit path God has shown me rather than falling back into what I clawed & crawled out of. That would be committing the most vile hypocrisy. Tricking me with a false warmth of a mere blanket or rug is no match for basking in the truest form of the sun. And I will take it in its fullest form, and not shading it with a dimmed lens.

Thanks be to God I have found firm ground to stand on and open eyes! I will not be tricked into taking that sight for granted by looking off a rocky cliff just to fall back into the barren well.

To think that wearing rose colored glasses might help you see in the darkness you live in is just a lie you are telling yourself. And the lie is evident to those around you as it is quickly obvious that you cannot truly see where you stand.

I once stepped back to the darkness thinking I was building a bridge to forgiveness while having the cold shadow fingers around my neck. After being there for a long time, I also realize the shadow moves with an ebb & flow that it is hard to realize where it will end up. I will not keep up with the darkness. I now step away from the shadows, shake the dirt from my sandals, and will run toward the light. I will no longer be held hostage by the shadow darkness. And I pray the darkness leaves my children as well. There is no need for them to get caught in the inconsistency of the shadow's hypocrisy. And it is wrong of the darkness & the shadow makers to beckon for them while they enable the shadows to block the light of the sun.

They strength I have prayed for was given to me to deal with the darkness trying to beckon me back. And I am thankful I now have the divine-given strength to know that I can face the darkness without being tricked to head back into the sadness. I will not accept the dimmed lens or the broom to sweep the darkness away for a short moment. The faith I have built to this moment has granted me the vision I needed to deal with it. Though I am shunned, the darkness is disappointed that I am not going back there to that place. I am strong enough to leave the darkness confused & bewildered as to why I refuse to drift back in that coldness in its hardworking deviousness to draw me back.

I still sin, because I am a sinner. But I also know that covering a sin to pretend I am faithful is a hypocritical sin that I cannot muster. I think for myself & am guided by God. I am covered in the blood of Christ Jesus. I have used His word. I am no prophet, but I do believe we all have prophetic moments when God needs us to lead some of his people out of the dark. The prophetic words are not always used, and when they are, it doesn't mean those the words will be accepted by those it the words were meant for. But the Word must still be delivered. And I had to deliver harsh-yet-loving words to get the darkness to disappear. And it's a message that could only have been delivered through intervention of only the Divine. Yet I am still shunned. Yet it still beckons my children.

I pray the Word of God sets into those who are still truly lost. I pray the dimmed lens will be removed, blankets & rugs will disappear, and truth is dealt with. It isn't easy to let go, but I am not going back. And maybe one day the darkness will disappear in its ever-so-volatile ebb & flow.

I'm in the light...and I am not going back!

Amen.