It's Uncomfortable

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’"  Matthew 25:37-40

This is a very difficult devotion for me to write.  Don't fret!  This is not a parting devotion.  However, this is one that will make some very clear statements, and some of you will feel very uncomfortable.  If it does, then I am happy because as much as I prefer not to have conflict, I must because I trust that God loves us enough that we can discuss this openly.  Trust that you understand what is said is not meant as malicious or ill willed.  It is simply because I love you enough to share my world with you.  There is a part of me that knows I’m entering the danger, but God simply put something in my heart I can no longer simply ignore.

We are living in a time where there is a deepening racial divide.  Although I have been blessed to be around a number of beautiful people who would look at me as just Kent, I live in a world that still does not understand what it means to be black in America.  It does not mean that I hold ill will if you do not understand, and I will still smile to say hello regardless of what race you may be.  I bring up my race not to insult you.  It is however to remind you.  It is to remind you that when I am not in the room and you hear someone say something racially insensitive, it is totally unacceptable, and I would expect you to speak as if I was there.  It is to look at me as a friend even when your experience with other African Americans may have been negative.  All because I may look like them does not mean I or the next person acts like them.  It is to say that when there is outrage after a policeman is shot but silence when an innocent black man is, I would ask you to look in the mirror because something is very wrong with that picture.  And when you support a candidate who has proven on multiple occasions that he violates Jesus’ greatest commandment, to love thy neighbor as thyself, all because he will either support the Supreme Court or change things, I will simply say your heart is in the wrong place, and you need to know this.  Why?  Because of the verses above.  If something hurt me, it would not bother me at all for you, the reader, to disagree.  But if it hurts those closest to me too, that tells me my feelings are not that far off, and it is not political or media induced.  It is very personal.  If any or all of this makes you uncomfortable, I am not sorry.  It is the discomfort I have carried for years that pushed me to write this.

God wants us to grow through our discomfort to better love one another.  I brought up today's verses because doing what is right is not always comfortable, but we should always seek it for the greater good of God's Kingdom.  It is easy for us to simply be good people loving God and being good to others.  However allowing others to say offensive things about another or be racially insensitive just to not offend them is never acceptable.  Ever.  My greatest fear was that my feelings on this would offend others who would call me overly sensitive.  Jesus was never one to shy away from controversy.  He did not walk into the synagogue to make the Pharisees feel comfortable.  He made it uncomfortable.  Very uncomfortable!  God challenges us to do things we are not always comfortable doing for His will.  Not ours.  It is never easy, but it is always righteous.

We cannot be Christians and dismiss the wrongs in the world.  One of the reason God and politics do not mix well is because both sides pick what they like but yet none are willing to embrace all of what Jesus Christ teaches.  My goal is not to have people change party lines.  It is to simply look to Him and acknowledge that there are some fundamental things we just should not tolerate any more.  We can support police while crying for justice when one of them does wrong.  We can learn to understand the pain of one who was both white and a minority in the city, and we can stand up for one who is black and makes us uncomfortable.  We can still love our country and show love and respect for a person who holds their fist up in the air or kneels down to bring awareness of civil injustice.  God did not make us the same color to challenge us to look beyond our skin.  And yes, He loves all of us!.  As such, we are to love each other freely and unconditionally.  It does not ask us to pick those we know.  It says to love all of our neighbor as ourselves.  Do you have God's love in your heart yet deny Him with others?  Are you willing to feel discomfort to challenge your own views on race?  My prayer is that we fight our own unconscious racial bias understanding our discomfort God is placing in our minds and hearts.  Amen.

Bigger, Bolder, and Vigilant

I write today praying for guidance and wisdom, and ask you as a reader to have patience and maybe even a little grace and understanding if you struggle with or may even be slightly offended by today’s devotion.  I grew up as a child who was heavily involved in civil rights.  I remember being taken to conferences for the NAACP at the bright young age of eight, and hearing stories from a mother who was chair for the civil rights commission in the state of Michigan.  I also grew up in a school system where every year, the Detroit Police Department would have a band that came to the school, and for one hour or so play, tell jokes, and bring smiles to our faces.  To me, they were my friends.  They would protect my crew and me later on after being robbed at gun point.  These are the images in my mind that I had coming into last week.

While those are the images I cling to, I walk into a reality today that is very different.  I am saddened and frustrated by tragic deaths that both raise questions of my family’s safety and look deeply in my own heart for grace and understanding for those who disagree with me.  Am I safe even if I do the right things all because I might fit the description of someone who did wrong?  Do I lash out because someone unwilling to take a deeper look into a cause looks at me and says or writes ‘All Lives Matter’ failing to understand that ‘Black Lives Matter’ does not mean all other lives do not?  Do I fail to show enough love and appreciation for the job of those who protect and serve in my community?  These are the questions that have swirled in my mind for almost a week now as conversations have continued both with and around me.  At a time like this many of you have asked for love, prayer, and God’s guidance.  However, today’s devotion will simply ask something that has been lost like fad that has come and gone.  What would Jesus do?

Jesus would challenge us to be bigger, bolder, and vigilant in the face of such uncertainty.  Rather than have us focus on our fears as to what may happen, He would harken on the words of David saying:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Psalm 23:3-57 (KJV)

He would look at our own lack of understanding of others and ask us to be accountable for our own sins saying, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?  How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)  Jesus would remind us of the Golden Rule (Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. Matthew 7:12) and greatest love (This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.  There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  John 15:12-13).

You see as followers of God, Jesus does not allow for us to retreat to the safety of our own lives.  Our discomfort is a sign that God is challenging us to grow.  Jesus never ran away from what God asked of Him so He could be comfortable.  Instead, He followed knowing who God was; our Heavenly Father, and did it because that is who He is.  I’m encouraged by the song ‘Good Good Father’ that reminds us:

You're a Good, Good Father
It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are
And I'm loved by you
It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

We are valued and loved by the Great I Am.  I will not be silent to injustices, and will continue to pour out love to others even if they do not agree my stance.  I mourn with sadness over all wrongful deaths, and yes, I still love my police (especially that band that plays in the schools).  Do not be discouraged.  Our love of Christ will help others see the light as well.  What is Jesus asking of you now?  Are you willing to embrace the discomfort God has placed in your heart, mind, and spirit?  My prayer is that the tragedies of this past week will remind us our mission as followers of Christ.  Be bigger, bolder, and vigilant.  Amen.de