If you were a New York City police officer attending the funerals of murdered police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, what would you do? Would you obey Police Commissioner William Bratton’srequest to respect a hero’s funeral and not demonstrate your displeasure with him in any way? Or would youignoreBratton’s statement that the funeralsare about grieving, not grievance, and turn yourbackto New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio anyway?
We know from news reports thathundreds of New York City Police Officers chose to turn their backsto the video screen of Mayor de Blasio giving the eulogy at Officer Wenjian Liu’s funeral as they had done just a few days before at Officer Rafael Ramos’ funeral.This act of protest, according to severalnewsreports, is because many NYC police offers feelde Blasio contributed to an environment that allowedRamos’ and Liu’sslayings by his support ofprotests following the police killings of Eric Garner on Staten Island and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
‘”The mayor has no respect for us. Why should we have respect for him?” said retired New York Police Department Detective Camille Sanfilippo, who was among those who turned their backs Sunday. Retired NYPD Sgt. Laurie Carson called the action “our only way to show our displeasure with the mayor.””-CNN
Whichever side of the back-turning-fence you are on, this story prods our conscious and causes us to ruminate on what we would do if we were a NYC police officer assigned to wear our dress blues and pay public tribute to two murdered co-workers. What choice would we make if our fellow comrades in arms said that they were going to take a very public stand in front of millions of television viewers and onlookers?
Would peer pressure come into play? Or would our decision be based purely on our personal convictions regarding the matter?
These are the kinds of questions we answer every day as we navigate our world.
Oh, the majority of the time,our responses to moral or ethical issuesare not on as grand of a scale as the NYPD back-turning incidents; but, nonetheless, our convictions are challenged in some way almost every day.Our responses provide a barometric check ofour convictions.
Consider some of the following scenarios:
-You’re in the break room at work having a nice chat with your coworkers when suddenly the conversation turns to the sex scene in a popular movie many of them saw over the holidays. What do you do?
Your response provides a barometric check of your convictions.
-You have really been having a hard time with a fellow church member stepping on your toes. They just seem to know how to get you riled up. You have been trying to work through it in prayer and have been considering going to them privately to try to work it out as the Bible admonishes when avery sympathetic friend comes to you and says, “I’ve noticed so-and-so has been a jerk to you lately. Wanna talk about it?” What do you do?
Your response provides a barometric check of your convictions.
-You work hard and have developed a reputation for going the extra mile. The holidays are overwhelming, and you feel like you deserve some time off. You could use your vacation time, or just take several extended lunches to get your shopping done. What do you do?
Your response provides a barometric check of your convictions.
Every day we are faced with moral and ethical decisions. And with each choice, we move either closer to Jesus or farther away.
Consider the many moral, ethical, or spiritual dilemmas exampled in the Bible:
- Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.
- Saul and David
- David and Bathsheba.
- Laban and Jacob.
- The three Hebrew children.
In each of these well-known Biblical stories, a decision was made. They chose what they would do. But their defining moment didn’t come out of the blue. No, they had spent a lifetime of defining their moral code; and, when the moment of testing came, they eitherpassed or failed based on where their convictions had led them.
And so do we.
We may never be in a situation like the NYC police officers were on Sunday. And we may never be asked to bow to a huge, statuesque idol like the three Hebrew children were. But every day we choose what we will do. And in the choosing, we either weaken or strengthen our relationship with Christ.
Let’s Pray:
Lord Jesus, first of all bless those NYC police officers. Whatever their reasons were to turn their back or not, be with them. Bring unity in the force. Your word tells us to pray for the leaders of the land that we might have peace. Lord, we pray for Mayor de Blasio and for Commissioner Bratton. Make them the leaders that you want them to be. Strengthen them and strengthen the NYC police force. Lord Jesus, help us to make choices that honor you. Keep us far from compromise. Guard our hearts and minds so that we may develop strong convictions that will keep us and protect us in our times of testing. In Your Precious Name, Amen.