JUSTICE

BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

The right side of history bends toward justice, and I want to be found on that side every time.

Not because I have all the answers. Not because I get everything right. But because I believe with all my heart that the Gospel was never meant to be a weapon. It was intended to be good news.

I do not believe it is my job to judge the sinner or the saint. That is God’s job. God sees every heart. God knows every story. And I trust Him to do what is right.

As for me, I have enough in my own life to keep me humbled and remind me daily of how much grace I need. I am not going to waste my energy deciding who is worthy of love; I am going to give it freely.

Because people are hurting quietly and deeply, and sometimes, all it takes is one cruel word, one moment of rejection, to send someone further into the shadows. 

I do not want to be the voice that silences them. I want to be the one that says, “You still belong. You still matter. You are still loved.”

My faith calls me to build bridges, not fences; to reach across divides, not reinforce them; and to make space at the table rather than guard the door.

So, I will continue to do the work that is mine to do. I will show up with empathy. I will speak the truth with love. I will lead with compassion that comes at a cost. 

And I will stand in the tension, not to win an argument, but to reflect the heart of a Savior who never walked away from those who were hurting.

If I am remembered for anything, let it be this: I built a bridge when someone needed to cross, and I did not give up on grace because grace has never given up on me.

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