I've spent some time meditating on the events of the last 24 hours. Our country is reeling from so much violence. The recent police-involved shootings and the outrage of violence that followed in Dallas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri... it's a lot to take in.
I feel so overwhelmed. Where do we go from here? What can we do? Is there any hope for unity in our society, or have we just gotten so far out of hand? I don't know what else to do, so I decided to sit in prayer and meditation. And just as I had asked, God answered with comfort that only He can provide. And in that time of meditation, I pondered some essential truths that I think we need to be reminded of:
1. Lives Matter. Black lives matter. And so do white lives. And brown, and yellow, and green, and purple... you get the idea. God has loved every person on the face of this earth before they were born. He knew how they would live, what challenges they would face, and what adversities they would either overcome or fall to - all before they were knit in their mothers' wombs. All lives matter to God, and they should matter to us, no matter what they look like.
2. Your Identity Matters. Your identity is not tied only to the color of your skin, or which box you check on standard government forms. Our identity is found in Christ, not in the color of our skin, the shape of our eyes, or the language we speak. It is in our spiritual DNA that the best part of us can be found. God has placed His fingerprint on all of our lives. We are all created in His image, made to be His representatives on Earth. And there will come a time when these earthly bodies will fade and our new, perfect, heavenly bodies will reveal what scripture has been telling us all along - we are made to be just like our Creator.
3. Joy Matters. No one should ever live in fear. No black man should live in fear of being shot during a routine traffic stop. No police offer should live in fear of being ambushed during a routine house call. No woman should live in fear of sexual assault when she is gathering water at a well in a remote village. No person, of any gender, race, sexual orientation, or faith, should be afraid of being harmed for any reason at any time. While it is tragic that a particular group of people feels that they are the targets of police violence, or other groups feel that they have been unfairly portrayed as being hateful, I want to remind everyone that no life should ever be treated with disrespect. And no one should have the ability to steal our joy by keeping us oppressed in fear.
4. Our Differences Matter. We are all created so differently, so uniquely, and have been given different and special gifts, talents, skills, and blessings so that we can be useful to the kingdom of God. The fact that some of us have lighter or darker skin colors, different colors and textures of hair, and different body shapes speaks to the creativity of our God. He made no two exactly alike - even identical twins aren't really "identical." He rejoices in our uniqueness, and yet He loves all of us equally.
5. Your Roots Matter. A white male should never feel that his "whiteness" or "maleness" is something to be ashamed of. No black person should feel second-class because their skin is darker. No hispanic person should feel that they are lacking their basic human rights because of their country of origin. We were all created to be one-of-a-kind, and God absolutely rejoices in the beautiful, unique person each of us is! If every person on earth had the exact same skin tone, the world would be a pretty boring-looking place. But our creative God gave us all different shades and hues of hair, skin, and eyes. And guess what? He absolutely loves the colors you have! And He created them all to be particularly un-common.
6. What You Can and Cannot Control Matters. There are a lot of things you can control about yourself. If someone criticizes you for being inexperienced, you can gain experience. If someone claims you are ignorant, you can educate yourself. But no one can change their heritage. You have no control over the type of genetic material from which you have evolved. No more than I can make myself turn into an amphibian, a person of African descent cannot make themselves become Asian or Latin or Caucasian. It doesn't work that way. So when someone throws around racial slurs, it is especially cutting because that part of our being is completely beyond our control. We can't choose our parents (though we may wish we could!). We can't choose our heritage. We can't choose our ethnic roots, our ancestors, or our conception. It's just not possible. But we can take comfort in the fact that our loving Heavenly Father did. He knew where we should be placed for the biggest impact on the world He loves. You can choose to take refuge from your circumstances, or you can choose to be fully and actively present in your circumstances. God has placed everyone in a special time and place so that our unique traits can be used to glorify the One who sent us; however, whether we choose to glorify Him or not is our choice (free will is an entirely separate blog post!).
7. Your Purpose Matters. I don't know what every individual human being's purpose on Earth is, but I imagine it differs greatly from person to person. I don't think anyone else has exactly the same purpose, or can make exactly the same impact, that I have been created for. Perhaps our individual missions may overlap, but our wonderful, creative God has put within each of us a special reason to exist that no one else has. Know that. Embrace that. Fulfill that.
I hope that as these events continue to unfold, and as more information becomes available, we choose to love each other. I pray that we come together, and not fall prey to the enemy that would have us divided and doing his dirty work. We are created for so much more than anything this world has to offer, but we can make it good while we are here.
Love each other, and yourselves... just as God first loved you.
You matter to Him.
