What is it for....

What is it for?

This morning, a young elderly couple living on Etting Street, woke up to go get their prescription from the CVS on the corner two blocks away from the house, only to find that it had been burnt to the ground as a result of yesterday's events.  An elderly man living just off Westwood Avenue headed out to the corner story to get some milk, only to find out it was also closed, because of yesterday's event.  It took a young, latchkey kid, from the other side of town, four months to get used to catching the bust through Mondawmin Mall just to get over to Digital Harbor, where he enjoys going to school everyday, verses the previous school he attended, where he felt left out like an outcast, and today he is waking up with no where to go!

These are some of the challenges that Baltimore wakes up to today, in the aftermath of what took place last night, but I ask you, what was it all for?  I mean granted, I understand we all want justice for #FreddieGray, but can someone please tell me how rioting and looting a CVS then setting it on fire, along with a corner carry out store, and then breaking into Mondawmin Mall to steal clothes and shoes bring justice to Freddie Gray's memory and his family.  CVS had nothing to do with the incident, in fact they came into the area and build an affordable and accessible pharmacy and retail store that did not other wise exist, and good luck trying to get the developers back if the building was a total loss.  The small business owners of the corner carry out, I am sure, probably put their last into opening that store at the end of the block, for the local area to use, but now that is gone, and I am sure that insurance will only cover a portion of what they really lost.  But what was it all for?  To get a few bags of toiletries from CVS, some lunch meat and bread from the store, and a few shoes and clothes from the mall, none of which having anything to do with Freddie Gray.

I can remember back in the day, while attending Woodlawn Middle School​ (1989-91) the cafeteria raised the cost for lunch and snacks, and the student body got together, and organized a strike and a walk out at the school, and it was very affective. However, we would never have even though about destroying the school, the teachers and staffs auto, or even dare consider doing any harm to the police.  But the kids today, and the generations today, have a lack of respect for adults, and authority, which gives them a rebellious spirit of no fear, and causing them to cross lines that previous generations would not even dream of.  But what is it for?

The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, "Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out." 

But what is it for? Right now, all the attention and the spot light is on the City of Baltimore, and everyone is watching, so what that means, are people are now going to flock to the area to push and promote their own agenda claiming to be for the good of the city and the people and have their best interest and that of the Family of Freddie Gray at heart but they don't. You see in my experience, you have to learn the actual condition of the people in order to offer the proper solution, and that ca not be learned in a weeks time in front of cameras and the media.  In this case, as in many others, you cannot effectively help until you know the problem.  I mean, its just like asking the doctor to call in a prescription for your sickness, without visiting the doctors office to get a diagnoses and as a result, we have lost a generation, and its continuing to die as we speak, and yesterday that was clearly evident. 

You see, for me, yesterday did nothing more than to shed a light on the lost generation stating nothing more than, where are our leaders?  Where are those who would teach right from wrong, and respect and discipline?  Where are those to show how to effectively get your voice heard, with out offensively causing a problem or being a part of the issue?  We have too many of our leaders chasing after the spotlight, and not enough of them on their knees praying to God on what direction to go.  Let's face it, this city has been building up to this point for years, and it did not happen over night, or with the Freddie Gray incident.  But long before and our God has been calling this city as well as this country, back to becoming a nation of prayer, as it was built upon in the beginning, but just like Mosses, God has told our leaders to speak to the rock, with prayer and fasting, and instead, some of them have chosen to strike the rock instead, and maybe that is why so many of them are being exposed, because just like Mosses, you can not go into the promise land with disobedience. 

Life and death has always been in the power of the tongue, and until such time that we learn to use it properly, we will continue to have these issues.  We need to fall back and begin to speak to our youth, but moreover, we need to listen to our youth because they are crying out for leadership and guidance, not for attention as some would have it be, because if not, what is it for.  So my call to action today is for the true leaders in this city, that have a voice and a platform to use, I simply ask you this, what, is it for!

Be Blessed

Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:15-28