Just Mercy

I'm reading Bryan Stevenson's 2015 book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. It's a page turner about the dramatic rise of incarceration in the US, but addresses a much broader question of a society's character and spirit. 

One quote stands out: "The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice."

You can imagine why that thought resonates after spending nearly two weeks with the desperately poor in Guatemala. They are the victims of 450 years of oppressive and corrupt governments that have intentionally left them hopeless. They are the forgotten, left behind by a ruling class and church system that is more interested in maintaining power than in securing justice for all. There's no doubt that a collective concern for justice in Guatemala would bring scores of people out of extreme poverty, giving kids like these a chance to dream and hope and, well, "take hold of a life that really is life" (1 Timothy 6:19).

Walter at Escuela Integrada

A biblical understanding of justice has nothing to do with jurisprudence or fairness; instead it sees "the other" as our brother.  Justice is impartial and seeks the good in and for all. It flows from the heart of God stretching to every corner of the earth. A society's true character, therefore, is judged not with how we treat our friends, but how we treat the poor and the marginalized ...

... like Walter, a very bright 13 year old boy who leaves Escuela Integrada every day to shine shoes in the park. He does the same thing every Saturday and Sunday, 8-5, stopping on the way home to buy food with the money he's earned, food to make the family's evening meal. He's done the same thing every day since he was 5 years old. 

Walter doesn't need our handouts. Walter needs/deserves a system that cares about justice and mercy for all. We all do. 

Adios, amigos. 

Pastor Rhodes