Trousers and Chitlins

| Well, That Escalated Quickly |

So...why didn't y'all tell me I should have brought popcorn to my job's Town Hall meeting!? It was off the chain, turn't up, dope, lit, or whatever folks are saying these days. It was the type of drama that you knew everyone would be talking about as soon as it was over. As I walked back to my desk, I could practically smell the gossip in the air. I could hear the whispers and giggles as everyone broke off into cubicle-cliques and hallway-huddles to recap.

So here's what went down. The Town Hall was business as usual, yadda yadda yadda, nothing to see here. There were no frills and everything was on script. It did seem a little odd that the head of EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) was asked to stand up and emphasize how we are a "zero-tolerance" organization when it comes to harassment and discrimination. The way it was emphasized made it seem like something had went down, but I didn't read too much into it.

The meeting was uneventful until the Director opened the mic up for questions. As soon as the floor was opened, the hand of the Union president shot up. She was handed the mic and began to let loose. For context, our union president is a black lady who's probably in her early 50s, and our Director is a white male who is in his early 60s.

She accused our management of being discriminatory in front of the entire organization. She said that we boastfully celebrate our "diversity in the room," but when you look at the demographics of management, they mostly look like the Director. (She actually said that to him!) She went onto say that the "zero-tolerance" rhetoric that was said earlier in the meeting has been thrown around for years, but never results in action. She practically accused the organization of being prejudice without outright saying it and was not letting up.

So many things were revealed during the exchange. Apparently, there were two anonymous letters that were sent to the Director alleging discrimination. These people were afraid to come out because of fear of retaliation. The Union president said that she received e-mails from employees about discrimination, but somebody went into her computer and deleted them without her permission. The Director and the Union president continued the back-and-forth in front of everyone. Basically, the whole exchange was a hot mess. This lady was extremely brazen with the Director in front of everyone. If there was a fine line of disrespect, she was walking it like a type-rope.

As I watched all this unfold, I felt something rise up in me. I started thinking, "Listen lady... I have it pretty good here at this job. The last thing I need is you messing up my gravy train. Maybe other people are facing some issues, but it's not affecting me, so I'm good. Pipe down, lady! It could be a lot worse than this." I didn't want any feathers ruffled. It was like a slave who knows that slavery is wrong, but he'd rather go with the program than stand up to the master: "Nih look here y'all... Massa treats me reals good. He gives me trousers and chitlins'. He even lets me stay in the big house every now and then. I knows he beats me, but don't say nuffin bout my Massa ya hear!" I was comfortable and I didn't want it disturbed, even if it was at the expense of others and at the expense of what's right.

| Bad Apples |

I knew that this lady was jeopardizing her job security by confronting the organization. She publicly bucked the system and was certainly being marked as a problem. I know what that feels like because I did the same thing at my previous job. Essentially, it is the role of a martyr. A martyr is a casualty of war who is willing to die for something they believe is greater than them. They believe with every fiber of their being that what they are fighting for is right. I knew what it felt like to risk being the sacrificial lamb, but this situation allowed me to understand the mindset of the comfortable and complacent coward.

In almost every environment, people are being marked. Those who are willing to play ball are marked as company men or company women. Playing ball usually looks like kissing butt and turning a deaf ear and a blind eye to anything wrong. The people who are not willing to play ball are marked as bad apples. The old saying is "one bad apple spoils the bunch." Therefore, the powers that be believe that bad apples need to be thrown out. The system knows this. The martyr knows this. The company men and women know this. It's an unwritten and unspoken rule until someone confronts it.

The Bible says that Satan is the prince and power of the air and the god of this world. What that means is that many of the systems of this world are inverted. So, in actuality, the "bad apples" are really the righteous ones. They are just labelled as bad apples because they will not sit idly by when evil is happening right in front of them. Proverbs 28:1 says, The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Why is that though? What is the inspiration behind this boldness?

Notice that the scripture says that the righteous are bold as a lion. To be righteous is to be in right-standing with God. When we are in alignment with God, it means that God has our back. So, from a Christian point of view, the bold person is really placing faith in God's justice and sovereignty. The righteous person has faith that their efforts will not be in vain, even if it's at the expense of their career or life. This is the mindset of the martyr. The martyr is fueled by faith that good will ultimately triumph over evil. Therefore, they align themselves with good, even if it means being rejected and disenfranchised by a wicked system.

The Bible even confirms that everything is about markings. The book of Revelation details the end time sequences and how the last days will unfold. Revelation 13 shows how the citizens of this world will all bow the knee to the beast. You will not be able to buy or sell unless you have the mark of the beast, the number of the beast, or his name. Those who bow to the beast are the company men of the world. Unbelievers are company men by default, but there will also be nominal "Christians" who will take the mark of the beast in order to save their lives. Jesus said it this way in Mark 8:35 - For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

Those who try to preserve their earthly lives do not have faith in God and His promise of eternal life. They are totally fine with all of the injustice and blasphemy as long as they have some sense of comfort. These are willful slaves who are comfortable with their trousers and chitterlings as long as they can coexist without conflict.

In the same manner, true Christians are marked as well. The Bible says that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and we are ambassadors for Christ. The people of God are the people that will not bow the knee to the beast. We don't have to wait until Revelation 13 to bow to the beast. The Bible says that the spirit of antichrist is already in operation. If we compromise the word of God in any way, then we are spiritually taking the mark of the beast. Being uncompromising in a wicked world means potentially losing your career, your reputation, or even your life. However, even though believers may lose their physical life, they are still over-comers. Revelation 12:11 says this: And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

| Conclusion |

As our society "progresses" further from the word of God, we need to pray for the strength to keep the faith. The Bible is being challenged every day with the way people live and even in the legislation we pass. It's not fashionable to be a Christian in an antichrist society. The collective conscious of society has gotten so bad that we are even questioning the fundamental biology of males and females. People are being driven insane right before our very eyes, and most people are passively allowing it to happen under the guise of love, tolerance, and political correctness.

It's easy to say that we will be steadfast and immovable when there is no conflict, but remember that Esau sold his blessing for a bowl of soup. The word martyr is the same word for witness. True Christians understand that we are in a spiritual battle and we must maintain our witness for Christ even if it's unpopular. Paul asked Timothy, "What soldier entangles himself in the affairs of this world?" Are you going to be a company man, who is comfortable in his trousers and chitlins as the world crumbles around you, or are you going to be a faithful servant of Christ who is willing to die with your bootstraps on?

You make the call.