Jamaica – the land of wood and water. Good food. Beautiful scenery. Rich culture. Bloodshed. And I, for one, am tired of it. Day after day, we hear in the news about persons who have lost their lives brutally by the hands of gunmen. Some occurrences do not even get air time. Unfortunately, gun wars feel like they have become the norm. It would be strange if a day passes and we don’t hear about crime and violence in this country. I realized that repeated exposure has made me progressively scared, numb, and callous.
Until Sunday.
Sunday, January 31, 2021, after my church’s service was over, I saw a tweet from the Jamaica Gleaner about a woman who was killed. At the time, I was not paying it much attention. After all, I was interacting with my family then. When I got home and read the message, saw the posts, it started to sink in. This lady was murdered, while praying, in a church. Throughout Jamaica’s history, that is unheard of. My pastor once told me of a time when shops and bars would be closed on Sundays until 12 noon. Godly men and women were respected when I was growing up, even when we did not see eye to eye. If something untoward was going to be done, the church was the last place it would happen. It was as if there were some unwritten rules about how we operate in relation to God and the church. Now this brazen act has saddened me. This nation has seemingly plunged in darkness even further. What great evil could possess a person to commit this act in a church building? It is clear to me that no one is safe anywhere.
I know nothing of this lady’s history. However, I must ask, was this warranted? I often think about this woman’s loved ones. Her church family who witnessed the attack will definitely need counselling. I can imagine the emotional trauma that they are going through. I imagine the many unanswered questions that we have. Where was God in all of this?
It’s even clearer to me that life is not valued in this country. We see the trends. A husband killed right beside his wife on their marital bed by gunmen. A grandmother killed in cold blood at her home by gunmen after begging for her life. A year old child with a bright future in front of him has his life snuffed out by the gun. And where in the world is Jasmine Deen? For a nation that does not produce the weapon, it is in abundance everywhere. Few hold this country hostage with fear because of it. When did this become Jamaica land we love? Is this the Jamaica my one-year-old niece will come to know and remember like I do?
I remember when my peers and I ran from gunshots while walking home from school in my teenage years. I remember turf wars erupting while at school and my father had to leave work to pick up me and my brother. I remember five men in my small community being gunned down while on their way home. They were each someone’s son. Most of them had children. All we are left with as a nation is the trauma of losing loved ones to this monster. I weep for us. I understand more and more why our best minds leave this country, never to return. How can we be a country to raise families and have a better economy if the population is looking over its shoulder, fearing for its life? This is senseless!
Lord knows I am tired. I want to experience the paradise past festival winners sang about. I want to see peace and unity all year round, not only when our athletes will represent the country. I want my friends and family to walk the streets without fear. God help us! Pain is our reality. This is Jamaica…
What irks me more is how we politicize the matter. Fighting crime and violence is not a partisan issue. Rather, it is a national issue. We ALL have a part to play in this complex situation. We normally say that the Government and Opposition must put frameworks in place, even outside of states of emergency. Churches should pray and intervene with social programs. Entertainers should seek to push positive music. Companies should provide jobs. The police need more tools. Families need to teach their children right. All of these are correct. My belief, however, is that the issue lies within the hearts of our people. We only see Jamaica as a country with material resources and not a people of worth. If all lives are valued, there would be little to no need for interventions of that nature. A broken system cannot fix what is broken in us. This is why we need a Saviour. Jamaica needs a Saviour.