Ever since I saw the news on Saturday and then thru out the weekend and Monday, one question has been resonating in my soul. Well, really it's been two things.
The first is this, How? How does this happen? I know there are a lot of ideas and pundits out there who have opinions. That rhetoric never really gives an answer. It blames and points fingers. There are more bad feelings and hurt stirred up. All of the negativity and frustration does not bring answers. It brings more confusion. More separation leading to an even bigger divide between races, social groups, ideologies and anything else that might cause strife.
I don't want to be part of that group. I don't have a lot of positive things to say about the political side of all of this, so I'm gonna follow my mama's lead and not say anything at all.
My second is this, What can I do? I'm a fixer. A doer. I see an issue and I want to fix it. But, these problems of racism and class warfare are bigger than me. I see Charlottesville and I weep tears of frustration that this continues to happen. That in a world grown so small by the gift of the internet we can still be so far apart face to face.
So what can I do? What can you do?
We start with a small step that has mighty consequences. I pray. I send my tears and guilt from not doing, I send the ugly hate-filled thoughts I have towards the white supremacists and I cry out to the God of heaven to strike the anger and fear out of their hearts. I ask for grace and mercy to reign on this earth in a supernatural way. I cry out for reconciliation.
I reach my hand across the aisle. I reach out to neighbors. I seek out conversations that might be hard or difficult. But these conversations are necessary. How can I say I want change if I don't understand how to change? I want to learn about those that are different from me. I want to not just learn and understand, I want to be able to love others.
Loving others requires instruction. It takes conversation. It takes guts.
That's what we will be doing in our family. We will be gutsy with our love. We will be reaching out to those that are different. We will be leading our kids towards grace and mercy for others.
At every corner, we will turn towards truth and love.
The first is this, How? How does this happen? I know there are a lot of ideas and pundits out there who have opinions. That rhetoric never really gives an answer. It blames and points fingers. There are more bad feelings and hurt stirred up. All of the negativity and frustration does not bring answers. It brings more confusion. More separation leading to an even bigger divide between races, social groups, ideologies and anything else that might cause strife.
I don't want to be part of that group. I don't have a lot of positive things to say about the political side of all of this, so I'm gonna follow my mama's lead and not say anything at all.
My second is this, What can I do? I'm a fixer. A doer. I see an issue and I want to fix it. But, these problems of racism and class warfare are bigger than me. I see Charlottesville and I weep tears of frustration that this continues to happen. That in a world grown so small by the gift of the internet we can still be so far apart face to face.
So what can I do? What can you do?
We start with a small step that has mighty consequences. I pray. I send my tears and guilt from not doing, I send the ugly hate-filled thoughts I have towards the white supremacists and I cry out to the God of heaven to strike the anger and fear out of their hearts. I ask for grace and mercy to reign on this earth in a supernatural way. I cry out for reconciliation.
I reach my hand across the aisle. I reach out to neighbors. I seek out conversations that might be hard or difficult. But these conversations are necessary. How can I say I want change if I don't understand how to change? I want to learn about those that are different from me. I want to not just learn and understand, I want to be able to love others.
Loving others requires instruction. It takes conversation. It takes guts.
That's what we will be doing in our family. We will be gutsy with our love. We will be reaching out to those that are different. We will be leading our kids towards grace and mercy for others.
At every corner, we will turn towards truth and love.
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