America, Be Careful
WASHINGTON, D.C. — I had the incredible experience at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast to hear the inspiring story of four Rwandan national leaders who lived through the genocide in their nation in the early 1990’s. One million people lost their lives in a three-month period. Most who died had their heads hacked off with machetes. Women were gang raped and homes were burned to the ground. They could not bury that many bodies, so corpses were stacked sometimes 20 feet high. Dogs consumed the human flesh.
Eventually, the killing stopped, but human devices could not bring peace.
The women talked about a life-giving process of repentance, forgiveness, and justice.
A few years back — at another Prayer Breakfast — I heard the First Lady of Rwanda give a sober analysis of the three-step spiral that led to this genocide. It is instructive for our situation in American culture.
The people went from referring to themselves as Rwandans to Hutu and Tutsis – the two big tribes.
Each group adopted a Divide and Conquer Mentality — demonizing the other side.
Each side allowed hate to spew without checking it in their own camp.
Eventually it took some people over the edge, and they did the unthinkable. Ordinary young men took the heads off even their favorite next door neighbor lady. Imagine this stark reality.
Then she asked this question: In your country could you be perpetuating genocide — killing not with machetes but with words and have the unthinkable happen one day?
Wow — what a apropos question. I was stabbed to the core of my heart. Mail bombs, shootings, hate speech, intimidation, lack of civility, bullying and violence is never, ever acceptable.
The First Lady said, “We thought of ourselves as a Christian nation and did not think this could ever happen to us.”
Do we as Americans think the same thing?
The four women leaders shared the good news of what God has done in their lives and nation. They said that after the genocide the nation went through a national process of Repentance and Reconciliation, and a spiritual awakening occurred that brought transformation and much unity in the country. Their economy is thriving. Crime is low. Women serve in over 60% of the seats in Government. Corruption in Government is also low.
We all can choose to be part of the solution rather than be part of the problem. God help us so that we do not through our own genocide. We need a revolution of civility and our own spiritual awakening. Without being right with God we will never be right with each other. Thank you to these courageous leaders of Rwanda for being servant faith leaders and honoring God above all else.
Dr. Michael Sprague is the Louisiana State Chaplain with the Capitol Commission and President of Grace Adventures, which reaches out to political, business, and spiritual leaders. Michael wants leaders to not only win at politics or career, but at life. He often serves as a “non-political” friend to people in the halls of leadership. Previously, Michael pastored at Forcey Bible Church in Silver Spring, Md.