I have this post in my mind for a while, and the last few weeks have been busy and I've been out of routine and I just did not get around to writing it in time to hit publish on the 4th of July.
The background of the picture I used above, is the result of a failed craft project.
Many people today feel that our nation, is the result of a failed experiment; "true democracy does not work, and we are not running a true democracy anyway." Is what I hear over an over.
It is very apparent that our country seems to be extremely divided today. Religion, Race, Economy, Education, Politics--all things that divide us. These things are not new to the rest of the world. Our country is fairly young. Conflict and division has manifested itself all over the world since Eve took the apple at the beginning of creation. I recognize, I may have just lost some of my readers with that statement (all 4 of you, haha). Or in the very least, received some eye rolls.
I admit, at times I fall to the pressures of our world and become overwhelmed and exhausted by all of the division, hate and fear. I fall prey to the idol worship of our government. But I know the truth: our government is not God. Our government is made up of imperfect people. I do not look to our Government to save us. They can't. And at risk of exposing my, perhaps, ignorant paranoia: I don't trust our government. I'm not just referring to our current government, all government, everywhere.
I trust God.
I know God is good.
I know Jesus came to save, not to condemn.
Jesus forgave those who put him on the cross...immediately, not years after.
Jesus is love--unconditional love.
There is a lot of misinformation in this world about what Christianity is, but this is the bottom line.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Even your "hippie, liberal, arrogant, ignorant" neighbors.
Even your "gun-toting, bible thumping, conservative, ignorant" neighbors.
Even your noisy neighbors. Even your "trashy" neighbors. Even your uneducated neighbors. Even your rich neighbors. Even your foreign neighbors.
Even your hateful neighbors.
I have been praying for God to "unsettle me". I have been praying for God to reveal things to me and in the last couple months God has placed "Racial Reconciliation" in the church, on my heart. He led me to a podcast called "United We Pray" hosted by Isaac Adams and Trillia Newbell. In "United We Pray" they discuss topics of racial division with various guests coming from many different perspectives and they end each episode by praying together.
I don't know how to solve racial division, inequality and injustice in our nation, let alone our world.
I am human.
God is not.
So I pray.
Here is what God has laid on my heart through this:
1. My perspective is not everyone's perspective.
There is always more to the story. I have not witnessed much racism in my lifetime; that doesn't mean that it is not happening. That doesn't mean I should bury my head in the sand and pretend it's not happening. The principal of my school once gave me an analogy she uses when she is problem solving with students and families: Everyone tells their side of the story without interruptions, then she holds up a giant (fake) diamond and asks them what they see. Of course everyone has a different description of what the diamond looks like, because diamonds are multifaceted. It looks different depending on what angle you are viewing it from, and your view of the diamond is not wrong, but it's not the entire view.
Challenge yourself to seek ways to see and learn things from others' perspective.
2. Listen & Affirm.
Do I like it when people write me off because I believe in God? Do I want people to support me when injustice falls on me? Do I want people to listen to me and know my heart?
So I am choosing to stand with my brothers and sisters of different ethnicity and cultures and say "I hear your, I believe you, how can I help?" When I don't have the opportunity to have those discussions, and receive that information, I pray:
"God, how can I help?"
3. God created us different, and God's creation is beautiful.
This is not a new perspective for me, but one that I want to emphasize.
Our differences are on purpose.
So I challenge you, Christian or not, pray for racial reconciliation, pray for God to give you vision.
Pray, Pray, Pray and see how God changes your heart.
And while you're at it, give "United We Pray" a listen.
Finally, in theme with the Holiday, I leave you with the verse I started with:
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom."
2 Corinthians 3:17
Freedom is why we celebrate Independence Day. We were free from British Rule. We were free to worship God in the way the bible teaches. We are still free to speak to choose our religion and openly share it. We have freedom of speech. We have freedom to disagree. We have freedom to peaceably assemble. We have freedom to pursue our desires.
Do all truly feel free in our country? No.
I know this: We are free in Christ.
We are free from feeling alone.
We are free from being offended.
We are free from harboring bitterness.
We are free from holding on to shame.
We are free from disappointment.
We are free from entitlement.
Do we still feel these things?
Yes!
But we do not have to hold on to them. We can choose freedom in Christ.
We can choose to forgive, we can choose to let go.
We can be free in Christ, even when we are not physically free.
I am not ingenious, I am not a clever writer, these revelations are not new.
I am positive that I have many typos in this post.
My only hope is, that if you made it through this whole post, that you are challenged to pray, to seek out those who are different from you, to learn to fellowship, to solve. I hope you listen to "United We Pray". I hope you study God's word and learn the ways of Jesus.
I pray for racial reconciliation in the church and in the world.
I pray that you all experience true freedom in Christ.
Grace in Peace be with you and Happy, Belated, Independence Day!
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