Life's Little "Rayelity Checks": Shifting The World

Life's Little "Rayelity Checks": Shifting The World: We lost one of our lifetime's "World Shifters" this week:                                    Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.  T...

Shifting The World

We lost one of our lifetime's "World Shifters" this week:  
                                 Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. 

Those of us who share this "Boomer" generation have witnessed the belly of the beast, and its evolution, through South African apartheid and American segregation.

The dismantling of each system marked, in part, by the ending of President Mandela's 27 year incarceration and The Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Now, here we stand, at the close of 2013, presumably the "apex" of our lives, witnessing the passing of many of those who fought, and gave, so generously, so painfully, so sacrificially for freedoms we are now witnessing being taken away-- most notably, The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which our Supreme Court stripped down significantly, just a few months ago on the grounds of being "unconstitutional".

What is important to realize, is that what kept segregation, slavery, and indeed, ALL of the "quasi-slave" systems intact, was the freedom given individual states to abide by Federal Law or not. Thus, the South, could debunk any challenges to its tyranny with immunity.

In June, when The Supreme Court, overturned Sections 4 & 5 of The Civil Rights Act, they gave 9 Southern States that right back. The right to re-write electoral laws without Federal approval-- a step so far backward as to almost undo the entire struggle... Destroy perhaps its most crucial gains.  A move akin to reversing the lynchpin that made apartheid illegal.

This weeks' death of Nelson Mandela, marks more than just the end of an era. It's the death of yet one more guard at the gate of justice.  And with each death... 

C. Delores Tucker, Civil Rights Leader and former Chair of The Black Caucus of The National Democratic Committee...

Constance Baker Motley, The first Black female Federal Judge...

Thurgood Marshall,  who served on The Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991, and who, as a lawyer won the pivotal Brown vs. The Board of Education case which integrated America's public schools...

August Wilson, Pulitzer Prize winning Playwright who chronicled important aspects of the American experience... 

John Tweedle, Pulitzer Prize winning Photographer, who cemented in our hearts and minds all of the iconic images of Dr. King and the  Civil Rights struggle...

Johnny Cochran, top Attorney who, beyond leading O.J's defense, was a prominent, early advocate of police brutality victims and was, at the time of his death, leading a legal charge  against the holocaust of Christians in the Sudan...

Lee Thompson Young (The Amazing Jet Jackson), who shared the distinction, with Raven Simone, as one of only two Black actors to carry a Disney television series, in the title role... 

John & Eunice Johnson, the founders of Johnson Publications, which for many years were the only magazines bringing the triumphs and rallying cries of Black America, and indeed, the world, into our living rooms...

 Hans Massaquoi, former Managing Editor of Ebony Magazine, who also penned his experience growing up in Nazi Germany, reminding us that world history is indeed ALL of our history...

 Don Cornelius, who helped validate our "groove"... 

And then there were Hadiya  Pendleton and Trayvon Martin, who represent the rivers of young, Black blood coursing the sidewalks of the world, calling out, like Abel, for vindication and all of our salvation.

These are just a tiny few of those gatekeepers and symbols we lost in recent years.  And, with each loss, if no one steps up to take their shift, the gate becomes more and more unprotected. Our gains, more and more vulnerable to raid.

The Civil Rights movement got us into "The Promise land".  It was a faith-based movement led by the REVEREND Dr. Martin Luther King, the REVEREND, Andrew Young, the REVEREND Ralph Abernathy... And so on and so on. Even the role of the Nation of Islam placed Spiritual principles at its core.

We cannot exclusively complete, in the flesh, what began in the Spirit.

God led the Hebrews out of slavery, through the wilderness, and into the Promise land.  And once there, they said, "We've got it from here, God!"  As a result, they got carted off to Babylon.

WE are being carted off to Babylon as we speak.  As we drive.  As we go about our day to day lives apart from God... thinking we're "in" now and  "we've got it from here".

The Hebrews had to fight to keep what was given to them, but they could not do it apart from The One who gave it.

We are living in very slippery times and the ONLY way to keep our footing is with regular time on our knees and teaching our children to.  Teaching our children the legacy of our history AND how God brought us through it, empowering us to be the best we could be and parting the sea when we reached the end of our abilities.  Being living examples of compassion and assistance to others, discipline, tenacity and prayer.

Does that mean no harm will ever come to them?  Sadly no. Every single person remembered here was somebody's child, including Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for trying to help others, in fact, a NATION!  And even God gave His only begotten Son so we might be redeemed.

But neither if them did it in their own strength-- but rather by complete reliance on God-- for their direction, endurance, and absolutely for their courage.  That is the key to the only lasting revolution.

If each of us do that, and look to God to direct our steps, we will be effectively led to do our part as a "World Shifter".  He will strengthen us to do our part to "Protect The Gate", because as evidenced by the virtual repeal of the Civil Rights movement, the devil never gives up.  We fought him with The Word, unity and tenacity in 1964, but just like he fled Jesus in the wilderness, he only "left until a more opportune time". (Luke 4:13)

One thing that is clear is the UNITY of the enemy's camp.  God's people need, once again, the UNITY that got us over... the UNITY of the Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, and more.  If we get back on our watch with regular time with God,  teach our children to, and dismantle all these manmade church separations, we can gain direction on how to repair the many breaches our gates have sustained.

We've tried it "our way".  It's time for ALL of us, regardless of race, class, or geography to get back on our watch for the preservation of our Souls!  And injustice to ANYONE ANYWHERE, injures the SOUL of not only the victims, not only the perpetrators, but all of those who look away and say, "Oh well".

The world is suffering more than a financial collapse, more than a moral lapse, but a "soul sickness". It is time to get back on our post to get the strength and direction to fight.  To get off the defense and get AHEAD of the battle.

"If My People, who are Called by My name, would humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land." (2 Chron. 7:14)

What do YOU think?

                                           ...Be love... and love will follow.
                                                                               -Rayel