Date: Friday, April 10th 
Scripture: Leviticus 19:15
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”
By Dawn N. Cleveland, CRESC Restorative Justice Committee Member
There are different kinds of truths we encounter when making unbiased choices in life, especially while facing challenges or circumstances that come our way. In general, people tend to make decisions based on what they perceive as “truth.” The first truth is in accordance with facts or reality. The second leans towards the truth as it relates to “US.” The third truth is being certain about God’s Will. In Proverbs 12:17 it states, “When you tell the truth, justice is done, but lies lead to injustice.” (GNB) Which truth do we suppress and which one do we embrace?
Society offers many enticing ways for individuals to conform to this world. God has become my model for justice due to my desire to seek the truth while contemplating unprejudiced decisions on behalf of others. There are over 331 occurrences of the word justice in the Bible in over. In some instances, the word righteousness is paired with justice. If justice requires an act of righteousness that comes from within each of us, then where does injustice dwell? After pondering this question, I’ve discovered that injustice dwells “in-just-US.”
The corruption that pollutes our world might cause “US” to compromise our professional ethics by having a strong influence on our character or judgments. Corruption can also affect our spiritual ethics, if we choose to leave God out of the decision making process. For every action there is a reaction, whether it’s good or bad. Learning to seize every moment will permit ourselves to make sound judgments in order to embrace the responsibility and accountability that has been entrusted to “US.” When we put forth a sincere effort to transform our behaviors of discrimination, cruelty, suppression, and repression, we are moving a step closer to loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Prayer: God of Justice and Righteousness, as we face many challenges in life, help us to make sound judgments that promote equality when interacting with our neighbors, friends, and families, sharing your love and embracing your truths.
Criminal Justice Fact: On any given day, 30,731 Pennsylvanian’s are confined to a county jail.
Action: Like Sound Community Solutions, The Abolitionist Law Center, and CRESC on Facebook for updates. If you’re not on FB visit their websites and subscribe to their newsletters to stay up to date.
Leave a Reply