Murder Was The Case

Josie and her baby daddy, Ram (who had been the love of her life since they were married 10 years ago) silently hoped the contents of her full belly was a girl.  Ram most certainly wanted another son but the unsettling rumors he recently heard about the governments wacked out birth control plan for low income families was running through the neighborhood like the energizer bunny on steroids.   Just as they were settling for the night, birth called and the family was blessed with a beautiful healthy baby boy.  A couple of weeks after Lil Mo was born the family’s worst nightmare manifested when they awoke to the deafening cries of women wailing at the top of their lungs.  They had never heard such pain before; the sound was piercing, deafening and heart wrenching all at the same time.  Josie pushed Ram to go find out what was happening but when he heard the sound of doors being kicked in, Po-Po cursing, shouting and what appeared to be struggling with people, he stopped dead in his tracks and quickly took the children to their “safe place”.  Before leaving the children he reminded them of the rules – this wasn’t a game, this was what they had been preparing for; Mimi was in charge; Aaron was to follow her instructions; they were both to look out for Lil Mo and to stay put until one of the parents retrieved them.  He reminded them where the secret peep hole was, which allowed them to see who was approaching without being exposed.  He prayed for their safety, hugged them and then instructed Mimi to lock the door as he put up the rest of the camouflage on the other side of it.  The room was small but it was sound proof, equipped with everything they needed and enough rations to last a week.   All those months of playing the “hide and seek” game had finally paid off. 

As they had planned, Josie stuffed her clothes with materials to make it look like she was still pregnant and got back in bed just before they heard banging on the door.  When Ram opened the door he was surprised to see Mahli, the officer that had purchased several of Josie’s pottery pieces.  Mahli told the accompanying officer to leave their presence.  Just then Josie emerged. Seeing her big round belly he didn’t bother to ask if there were any newborn male children in the house.  Ram asked what was going on and to his horror, learned that orders had been passed down to kill[i] any male-child that was an infant for reasons he himself was unsure of but it was not his job to question his superiors.  He ended their conversation abruptly, marked their door with his seal and told them their house would be safe for the rest of the night but warned that there would be another raid in the upcoming weeks.  He left their home and proceeded to raid other houses as he continued his assignment of carrying out the self-serving wishes of the powers that be.  When Ram felt it was safe he entered the safe room to discover the children sleeping peacefully, so he left them there as he and Josie prayed and created a plan to save their Lil Mo.

Let’s fast forward about 1400 years[ii].  Joe and Mary have a beautiful rambunctious toddler who is curious about everything and the talk of the town.  Even as a toddler Little BJ has an “old soul” and charismatic personality which captivates those who come in contact with him.  As Mary and Joe prepared for bed they were both still blown away about the surprise baby shower that was hosted by men of all people, there wasn’t one woman in sight.  But the gifts they received seemed to be out of this world, fit for a king.  Let’s put it this way, pampers, clothes, college or trade school would not be an issue ever.  When Joe finally did fall asleep he had another one of his troubling dreams.  It was so bad that he woke up in a cold sweat but he was very clear on what needed to be done.  He was careful not to wake Mary and BJ as he went outside and got their transportation ready.  When he returned he told Mary to get up, pack only enough food for their trip and to leave everything else behind.  Half sleep she thought she was dreaming and attempted to lay back down but when Joe grabbed her gently, held her by her shoulders, looked in her eyes and sternly said her name, “Mary”, she felt what seemed like a jolt of lightening pulsate through her body.  She got herself together, packed a travel bag and food while Joe grabbed BJ in his big muscular arms and off they went in the middle of the night. They travelled[iii] for what seemed like an eternity but finally arrived at their destination, Egypt of all places. 

Shortly after arriving news travelled from their hometown that male babies two and under had been slaughtered mercilessly for no apparent reason other than a perceived threat against the powers that be.  It was as if history was repeating itself with the deafening cries from women wailing at the top of their lungs with sounds that were piercing, deafening and heart wrenching all at the same time as mothers tried to make sense out of what made no sense at all.

Fast forward to 2015, we hear the same deafening cries from women wailing at the top of their lungs with sounds that are piercing, deafening and heart wrenching all at the same time.  Another senseless murder of a male child except there is no age range.  The killings happen so often that as a society we have almost been desensitized by them as we keep our distance until one day, its right at our front or back door.  The travesty is that it seems to be open season on black and brown boys some of which is a result of a police over-kill but the most difficult to accept is the fact that they are doing it to themselves.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don’t have faith so they couldn’t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ’s glory. Christ is the image of God.  2 Corinthians 4:4 (CEB). 

As I wrap it up I want to leave you with this thought.  My Favorite Book says: what has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.  Because of his unending faithfulness.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV).  The powers that be (aka the devil, Satan, Lucifer) have been trying to kill off man (the head of the family according to God's plan) for centuries.  Why?  I don't have all the answers but I can share this, if the head is removed, there is no covering and we get chaos instead.   

God's Joy is my Strength

Tania Not Tanya