You know I have a friend of mine who has gone through some bad times latley. Let me tell you about them. First, he was born to a poor family. A religious family, but very poor. He learned and he grew up. This friend of mine thought that people would be better off if they just loved each other. If they were just, you know decent. That is the kind of life he leads. He just wanders and touches peoples lives trying to make them just a little better. It’s just who he is. Well, the town he lives in is in the Bible Belt and they have very strict rules of what you can and cannot do, and they expect everyone to live by them, if not you get in serious trouble. They still have no stores open on Sunday, they all just go to church and go home.
My friend is not like that, he wants to help people no matter what day of the week it was. He pulls people together to work on Sunday. This church hates this idea and they have started to plot against him. My friend doesn’t seem to care he just keeps doing what he does. Helping people and loving them. No one can get him to understand that the church is out to get him, my friend is so unconcerned with the trouble he is in.
Well this past Friday, the church got with the local sheriff and arrested the man. While he was in custody, he was beaten and beaten badly. He was whipped and spit on, mocked and made fun of. The church leaders were a part of this abuse and condoned it. They were so sick of my friend trying to change things, especially on Sunday. In the end, they killed him. His broken, bloody, welted, ripped body was given to bury. No human being should ever have to endure this kind of torture. My friend did. I miss him so much. I can still hear him talking in my ear. He says, “Just love them. They need it more than anyone else.” He’s right of course these people who killed my friend need love.
My friend died because he loved someone other than himself. My friend died because he cared about someone else’s suffering. My friend died because he cared more about loving someone than the “rules” that would stop something as great as love.
It’s not fair, but then again life isn’t fair is it? As I ask, “Are You Kidding Me?”, the question is, have you heard of my friend? Do you know who he is?
Are You Kidding Me? 