Well, we can’t seem to get away from the race situation in our nation, can we? In my personal life I cannot escape it either, as it is even a heavy topic in some classes I’ve been taking.
Within a span of a few weeks, we’ve experienced hurricanes and a mass shooting. We’re watching diverse opinions as players take a knee. White supremacists are marching again. I’m dumbfounded by soap ads. And I’m not sure much of what we’re doing is affecting real change in hearts.
So, asking myself at the same time, how are we doing?
- Are we committing to pray? As in, write it down where we’ll see it and pray for our own hearts and our nation?
- Are we taking opinions straight to those whose job it is to represent us? Or are we only taking it to gossip or social media? (This is one with which I struggle)
- Are we educating ourselves on the topics and voting in even smaller, local elections?
- Are we lining up to give blood for shooting victims – or simply our neighbor across town?
- Are we loving the people He has put in our life?
- If we are learning that white privilege is true, in what ways is that changing our responses?
- Are we treating Puerto Rico and their distress like the neighbors they are?
These are just a few areas that give us concrete ways to be part of the solution. I am typing them for myself, too. We do not need to work on listening to thoughts that already line up with our personal biases. What does take work is listening to other viewpoints and choosing not to get defensive.
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
Romans 13:8