By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
Last week at least two more police officers were shot and killed — this time in San Diego.
The list of police officers being killed is growing at an alarming rate. Police officers have been cast in a negative light by some political leaders and media. That must stop.
Police officers put their lives on the line every time they step out the door. They tell their families goodbye each day without knowing if they will see them again.
Police officers are some of the most underpaid, underappreciated public servants in our country. They are under constant scrutiny. They have to make split second, life-altering decisions. Some times they make mistakes. Some times there are “bad apples” which give all police officers a bad name or reputation. I daresay those “bad apples” are in the minority compared to the thousands of police officers who truly try to protect the pubic.
There are police officers all over Tennessee who are members of Tennessee Baptist churches. We need to pray for them and all the police officers who put their lives on the line.
Members of First Baptist Church, Hendersonville, and at least one other church are doing more than talking about praying. They are doing it at their local police station. See story here.
I would encourage every Tennessee Baptist church to consider doing something similar, either at their local police station or sheriff’s department office. These men and women need our prayers and support. In addition, we can show our support for our police officers individually through prayers and/or acts of kindness.
When asked how long the prayers would continue, a member of First Baptist summed it up well: “as long as this craziness is going on.”
In addition to praying for our police officers, let’s also pray that this craziness will soon end.
