The year was sixty, 
The lines were drawn 
T’was 1860 
And hate lived on 

The forces were firm 
Convinced with pride 
That truth and right 
Was on their side 

The war did come 
And bodies torn 
Six hundred twenty 
Thousand mourned 

But many more 
Did bear the wrong 
From wounds so deep 
And hurts still strong 

One hundred and sixty 
Years came and went 
And laws were embraced 
With such great intent 

But wounds from years 
Too many to count 
Still surface again 
As generations mount. 

And so 2020 
Moved in as a cloud 
God’s plan was unclear 
For a nation so proud 

Unyielding and firm 
We placed ourselves first 
We each sought our gods 
And ignored such a curse 

Whether wealth or power 
Or glitz or fame 
Or whatever else 
Our desires did claim 

Our pride we wore 
So good and bold 
The red white and blue 
Was ours to hold 

But God would not dare 
Bow down to our flags 
Or yield His glory 
To all of our rags 

And so our pride 
Was on full display 
When COVID hit 
And God halted play 

Wall Street did stumble 
And Main Street shut down 
Our leaders confused 
In town after town 

God had pressed pause 
To get our attention 
But soon the division 
Became more dissension 

Our views so sure 
Were all that mattered 
The pride displayed 
Left friendships shattered 

But then that virus 
From Eden born 
Of pride thru racism 
Did rise with scorn 

The cry “I Can’t Breathe”  
Was heard by all 
Those final words 
A rallying call 

But rather than bow 
And confess our sin 
We rallied and chanted 
Our views once again 

The anger was seen 
In cities and streets 
And felt so deep 
In hearts and tweets 

So today we repeat 
What’s happened before 
When lines were drawn 
And all kept score 

But should we resign 
To another cruel end 
Where sisters and brothers 
And neighbors won’t bend? 

Should we just assume 
That all is now lost 
And what we do see 
Will be gone with great cost? 

There still yet is Hope 
But it will not reign 
When we will not see 
Injustice and pain 

No, this Hope demands 
We turn from our pride 
And humbly accept 
What we have denied. 

Our God above all 
Is able to heal 
But not on our terms 
Let’s submit and kneel 

When Pride is torn down 
And God is restored 
Then black and white 
Will walk in accord 

So will we defeat 
This virus of old 
That continues the hate 
And maintains status quo? 

The time is now 
The choice is ours 
Will we turn to God 
Or let pride devour?  

Our path to heal 
These wounds so deep 
Begins each new day 
As I awake from my sleep 

I am the one 
I must seek to control 
My desires submit 
To a much greater goal 

And like Son of Man 
Who left heaven above 
And humbled himself 
To show us true love 

May each of us look 
To love and to labor 
For God our Creator 
And the one we call neighbor. 

Love God and love others 
These simple commands 
Are what Jesus modeled 
And our God demands. 

💡“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.“ Matthew 22:37-39