I’m not going to lie: the news lately has me shaking. My heart breaks for the families who have been affected. My heart breaks for those who are witnessing the violence from the “frontlines.” My heart breaks for the children who are being given “the talk” about how to survive a police stop and what curfew means. My heart breaks for those who have to deal with this fear, this anxiety, every day because of their skin color.
I’m sure some of you have been trying to not look at what’s going on. I’m sure some of you aren’t even fully aware of it. Maybe some of you don’t want to see me writing on this topic. But I will not apologize for that. As a white person, I recognize that while I may face difficulties in life, my skin color is not responsible. As a Christian, I recognize that we are all in need of a Savior and that that Savior, Jesus Christ, said that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbors. One way to love is to speak up and speak out, to raise awareness and let people know you stand with them and recognize that racism is never okay and has no place in the presence of Christ and so I’m speaking up.
Let me say that last part again: racism has no place in the presence of Christ. Jesus came for the Jew AND the Gentiles (ethne). He quite literally stood for uniting the two in Him to glorify God (Eph 2:15). In fact, in case this has not been made clear or you haven’t heard it like this before, God’s Will, His desire, is to unite all people in Him (Eph 1:10). All people. Rev 7:9 states that when we are all united in Him and stand before His throne, we will be surrounded by “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” ALL peoples. Racism has no place in the presence of Christ. Period.
As Christians we cannot stand for anything but unity. Whether you agree with me or not, whether this makes you uncomfortable or not, whether this is what you wanted popping up on your newsfeed or not, it is something I felt must be said.
If you are heading out to the protests, please be safe. Protect your neighbors. Speak Christ’s love. Show them what it means to be a Christ follower. Racism has no place.