RebornSample

What To Do When You’ve Blown It

A woman with a megaphone yelled, “There’s a Klansman in the crowd.”

Imagine what would happen if someone shouted those words in a public place. I’ve never heard anyone yell this but Keshia Thomas has.

Keshia is a black woman. In 1996, she was an eighteen-year-old high school senior. On June 22, the KKK had planned a public march in her town. Keshia joined a much larger group of peaceful protesters opposing the Klan.

The police were present to maintain a controlled environment while protecting a small group of Klansmen who were decked out in their infamous garb. A safety fence separated the anti-KKK demonstrators from the Klan members.

Once the crowd heard, “There’s a Klansman in the crowd,” people began to shout, “Kill the Nazi.” The white man wearing a Confederate flag on his clothing with what appeared to be Nazi SS tattoos began running. Members of the crowd, however, stopped him, knocking him to the ground. Several people started kicking him and hitting him with the wooden placards of their signs. 

As the mob mentality began to take over, and more people joined in the kicking and beating, something came over Keshia. She told the BBC, “When they dropped him to the ground, it felt like two angels had lifted my body up and laid me down.” The teenager threw her body on top of the man, shielding him from the blows of the crowd. 

Later Keshia would give the reason that she risked her life to save this man. “I knew what it was like to be hurt. The many times that had happened, I wish someone would have stood up for me.” Almost involuntarily she moved to his defense. She stepped in and became willing to take the pain that was aimed at him.

Jesus cares about every person who has felt the sting of racism or who is targeted for no reason by authorities. And Jesus also cares for the racists who hate minorities. He cares for the KKK members and wants to save them from the bondage of hate.

As we recognize the grace that Jesus extends to victims, we have to wrestle with the fact that Jesus also extends mercy to victimizers, abusers, the self-righteous, the proud, and the would-be killers. He’s still saving people from spiritual death today. He’s saving even you and me.

If mercy is what happens when we don’t receive the punishment we deserve, then grace is what happens when we get something wonderful we don’t deserve. When have you experienced God’s mercy and grace in your life?