No Justice, No Peace

"No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!"

It is the cry of a people, an anthem being heard all around the world. No justice. No peace. Many care about one, but not the other. Many have lost sight of one in pursuit of the other.

Nelson Mandela said it best, "Peace is not just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference."

We can find that peace. We can work towards that peace. We can achieve that peace.

In truth, we all desperately need that peace. Our world is thirsty for it. Will justice ever fully quench that thirst? Of course not, but that is where we must start. As my favorite sign I have seen thus far states, "matter" is only the "minimum." Please remember that.

We must show up for black lives. We must let them know they are loved, valued, and seen. And we must create a world where all can flourish equally.

This week, I could not get two things out of my head and I want to share them with you before I close this short post; the first is a quote and the second is a prayer.

The quote is from none other than Mr. Rogers, and, whoever comes across this post, I want you to know these words are for you, "When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed."

I like that part of you too, and I hope you keep standing for those things in whatever way works for you—we all love in our own remarkable ways.

The prayer is the "Prayer of Saint Francis," but I pray it becomes personal for you as you pray it from wherever you find yourself in the world today. Pray for justice, pray for peace, and please, above all, continue working to live out both in your life every single day too. Never forget, "justice delayed is justice denied."

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

Amen.

With Hope,

James Davisson

James Davisson is just a small man with a big heart, serving a much bigger God.