The Tribune

By PATRICIA JOHNSON-PRATT

OVER the past few years we have seen a vast change in our economy, our communities, and the way we live. Joblessness is on the increase and crime appears to be out of control. We have blamed the parents, the police, the government and the churches but to no avail, from 2009 to date too many murders to mention have been recorded and the violence continues.

While the wounds of many are fresh and in some cases unable to be healed we are all faced with the questions of why, when will it end and who is going to find a solution?

The church is praying, the government is debating and civilians are taking matters into their own hands; they call it vigilante justice which simply says that since the police are taking too long to get the job done or not getting the job at all, I will find the culprits and deal with them myself.

As you drive through each neighborhood, in passing house after house you will see wreaths on doors which represents death, and on many of the doors in our inner city that wreath means that the life of a leader, one called holy by God, one placed here on earth to have dominion has been snuffed away.

Jesus says in John 10:10 that "the thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. But I have come that you might have life, and have life more abundantly".

But in reading this scripture and looking at reality it does not appear to be so. Some may say how can you have an abundant life without a job, without a husband or wife, how can you have abundant life if you can't even afford the basic necessities of life or better yet just live in peace.

My answer to that is, it is a matter of trust, where your faith lies and your relationship with the God. As much as people refuse to accept God as their personal savior when trouble comes their way the first name they cry out is Jesus, so if you believe that he can save you and help you out of difficult situations why won't you trust him enough to order your steps and be the head of your future and destiny.

There is so much bitterness, hatred, jealously and envy in the world today and particularly in this country, it really saddens your heart first as a citizen and then as a mother because to carry a baby for nine months and have someone take it away in a brutal manner is a very arduous situation to deal with. We can all assume why there is so much bloodshed on our streets and we can all point fingers but do we really know the cause of this outbreak of violence.

Has a charge been brought upon us by God for our lack of knowledge or because we refuse to obey the voice of God. Hosea 4:1-2 says "hear the word of the Lord, you children of Israel, for the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land: there is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land. By swearing and lying, killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint with bloodshed upon bloodshed".

Have we broken all restraints and allowed the devil and what little power he has to control and manipulate us. When did our hearts become so hardened where we no longer regard the life of another, how did we become so cold and uncalculated as individuals that we can just act on pure emotion with no regards to the lives that may be effected and the consequence that will follow. Do we not value the 10 commandments. (Read Exodus 20: 2-17).

It is still a sin to take the life of another no matter the situation. It is also fair to say that retaliation is not justifiable. In Romans 12: 19 we are encouraged not to take revenge for ourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "vengeance is mine; I will repay," says the Lord.

To say that you want to take revenge will cause you to build an attitude based on emotions which can produce physical damage. Vengeful thoughts take away peace of mind and may hinder sound reasoning.

What are we doing as fathers and mothers when it comes to raising our young men, where have we gone wrong and fallen short. The word of God is still true and it still has the power to heal, restore, bring to life, change and direct us into the paths we must follow.

No matter how it may appear, we must stick to God's plan and allow him to fix what has been broken. His word says that we must train up our children in the way that they should go, and his word says that we must not spear the rod. When we fail to discipline our children we fail to show love, and a lack of discipline wrongly teaches children that there are no consequences to their choices.

I am encouraging us as parents and individuals to become more involved in the lives of our children and remain watchful and try to communicate better with them. Sometimes we just need to listen.

We need to know where they are, who they are with and where they are going and no we are not the FBI, but we are concerned about you and the company you keep. Let us become more responsible and more accountable if we desire to see change in a generation.

Be Blessed.