Religion

The Christian Witness of Trayvon’s Mother

If there is one person who has sustained Sybrina Fulton through her son Trayvon Martin's death, it has, without question, been Jesus Christ.

By July 15, 2013
  • Share
  • Read Later
Gary W. Green / REUTERS

If there is one person who has sustained Sybrina Fulton through her son Trayvon Martin‘s death, it has, without question, been Jesus Christ. Tragedy tends to have a polarizing effect on a person’s faith—people often run from God or cling to God when their worlds shatter—and Fulton has used her undesired position in the public spotlight to witness to the God she serves. Her Christian testimony started before George Zimmerman was even arrested. Last March she turned Travyon’s hoodie, a sign of protest, into a spiritual symbol. “He’s in heaven with God—and he has on a hoodie. He has on a heavenly hoodie,” she told TIME. That was just the beginning.

Fulton, an active member of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Miami Gardens, tweeted a miniature prayer almost every day of Zimmerman’s trial. It was a profound choice given the extreme attention surrounding the case and the platform for political activism she was suddenly given. She openly prayed “the blood of Jesus over this courtroom,” a Christian expression for asking for God’s grace and healing presence in difficult circumstances. She shared her favorite Bible verses, and multiple times pointed followers to her favorite passage from the Old Testament book of Proverbs: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Fulton made sure everyone knew that Christ was the center of her focus, and that she would trust him even though it meant walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

When the court revealed the not-guilty verdict, Fulton’s profile picture went black. It could have been a simple sign of solidarity with the social media profile “black out” protests over the verdict. But the brief message she tweeted suggests something even deeper—for Fulton, protest for justice and hope amidst grief, ultimately gains true strength from God. “Lord during my darkest hour I lean on you. You are all that I have,” she wrote. “At the end of the day, GOD is still in control.” Her message of hope was retweeted over 12,700 times.

Here’s a look at her Christian witness in 12 tweets: