Black Lives Matter.

You know how you might sometimes relive conversations years after they’ve finished (I realize not all people do this, but imagine, if you will)? You think I wish I said this differently or I should have listened better. One such conversation I relive nearly 15 years after the fact centered around racism. Specifically, it was an argument I had with my closest friend at the time as to whether it still existed. I insisted that we were way past racism, that society knows better now, that the fact that there were affluent Blacks and poor Whites meant that systemic racism died years ago. My friend, who is mixed-race, of course countered that racism was not dead. How did the argument end? We were at an impasse and never discussed it again.

I cringe every time I think back to that conversation. I was ignorant. I had never seen racism manifest in front of me. If it had, I didn’t notice because it was never directed at me. As far as I knew, racism was something from our history books. It was conquered with the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King.

I now know better. I’ve learned since leaving the privileged little bubble I’d grown up in that the world is so much bigger than what I had seen or experienced. I know how privileged I am just by being white. I try not to beat myself up too much for being an ignorant kid, but the thing is, my friend was trying to open my eyes to the truth—to her truth—and I refused to see it because it made me uncomfortable. I wish I had listened—really listened back then.

I never have to worry about someone shooting me for jogging or walking around my neighborhood. No one has ever followed me around in a store. I always believed the police are here to protect me and never witnessed anything to make me question that fact. I’ve never been the subject of racial profiling. But, just because it is not my reality doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

There is no denying that racism still exists in this country. One might think that he’s not harming anyone by denying its existence, but that’s how white supremacists win. That’s how countless lives are ripped away without any real repercussions. When we stay silent about injustices, we permit them to continue. If one truly believes all lives matter, he’d stand for justice—for all.

We are all human—image bearers of God. Skin color, hair type, height, weight, culture, sex, political party, geographical location, health, religion, brain chemistry—these do not change this fact. Humanity has been stripped away from various peoples throughout the ages. In our sin, and to our shame, we’ve marginalized “others” based off looks, beliefs, upbringing—you name it. The “us” v. “them” mentality—the division—does more harm than good (if any good at all). Every human, whether we disagree with them or just don’t like how they look, deserves dignity and respect. Every. Single. Life. Matters.

So, if I were to go back and change that conversation I had years ago, I’d shut up and listen to my friend. I would tell her that her points were valid and admit that I’m no authority on racism. I’d say that I have no clue of the struggle many people face each day. I’d say “sorry,” and maybe I would have learned all this sooner.

The Forgotten Sin

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,... (Galatians 5:19-20 ESV)

When looking at this passage, it's so easy for us to focus on the "big sins," pointing out sexual immorality, idolatry, anger, etc. So many times we read through this (what seems like) never-ending list of works of the flesh and skip over a couple key points hidden in the middle. In fact, it seems like one of the biggest traits of the modern-day church is division. We separate ourselves by how we worship, interpretations of the Bible, or what we focus on.  

 Churches seem to split left and right over disagreements in leadership or a part of ministry. We feel like we have to clarify which type of Christian we are. And although we are all supposed to be a part of one unified body, we still pass judgement on other parts or even consider them foes. The thing is, I'm not immune to this phenomenon. I've grown up with my own ideas about other denominations, and I've even stepped away from the church in it's entirety because I nit-picked every church in town (a town that had more churches than restaurants). 

 The thing is, we're human. It's easy to make excuses for dissension and division. We get hurt. We have a major disagreement. We think others' methods are outright wrong. The thing about being a Christ-follower, though, is that He calls us to put all that aside. We are to forget ourselves and seek Him first. We are to put our brothers and sisters ahead of ourselves. We are to be open and honest and work out our differences. We are called to be unified, celebrate the differences, and extend the grace God continually gives us each day. 

 The devil knows this. I could even argue that his favorite method is divide and conquer. When we are so focused on fighting each other, we forget who the real enemy is. Prayers go unsaid, people go unheard, and the Gospel remains hidden. He likes to play to our pride or our past or whatever it is that will separate us from the community God has put us in. 

 I don't care what church you go to or what brand of Christianity you adhere to. Either way, I hope to see you in heaven. For now, I believe the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is in need of some repairs. The sinews of Christ's body need to grow back together because together we are far stronger than we could ever be apart. 

 When I would have fights with my friends growing up, my mother often quoted what I now know to be a verse in the Bible. She said a cord of 3 is not easily broken, meaning that on our own we are weaker than we are together, and with Christ we are nearly invincible. Let's not forget that.