Where am I? Fear, Sad, Hurt, Angry.
If you are white and you don’t believe the deck is stacked
against those with black skin, you are naïve and/or in denial. I am white, but I have raised 4 white
children and am currently raising two black teenage boys. It’s not the same.
If you are black and you believe white people or those in
law enforcement are the root of your problems, you are naïve/and or in denial. Victims become victimizers.
If we open our eyes to SEE, we will have feelings about
what we see. If our heart is sensitive
to feel, the gift of these feelings will come as we are awakened to our
need – for someone to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We will need God and we will need each other.
If we are in a posture need, we can surrender the care of
our lives (and those we love) to a God who sees us and still loves us. It is true, “God gives grace to the humble but opposes
the proud.” (James 4:6).
Being in need is what most of us have learned to despise
about ourselves, so we become self-sufficient, self-made survivors. It is because we cannot tolerate being in
need that we willfully choose not to see (denial) so we don’t have to feel and
don’t have to be in need.
Fear results in rage instead of a surrender that leads to faith.
Sadness becomes self-pity instead of a grief
that leads acceptance.
Hurt becomes resentment instead of a confession that
leads to healing.
