The Truth about Racism

The exact subject on Oprah that day escapes me. What I do remember was a woman telling a story about how she was put off of an airplane: a few of the other passengers felt uncomfortable about her obesity. She went on to say that fat people are kept from better jobs and are paid less because of their weight. Her comments smacked of coincidence. They all had the familiar ring of things said by other "minorities".

 

Too Many Similarities

The similarities in tone go way beyond the coincidental. All such statements are rooted in bitterness and pain; in year of emotional abuse. Words that express a myriad of emotions: anger, frustration, hate and a grave feeling of helplessness to change one's own situation. I have found these feelings that that are not only felt by racial minorities but they are held in common by all people. Most people may not know it, or even care to admit it, that are more similarities than differences "under the skin".

 

A Human Problem



No amount of current headlines are necessary to remind us that there is a "racial problem". There is absolutely no need of tales of neighborhood unrest or full scale rioting to remind us something is going on a daily basis. Plain truth of the matter is that not problem of the "races".

 

It's more than one ethnic group against another. Any hatred manifesting itself in our cities stems from fear and indifference. It's not so much black against Korean or white versus black. What it boils down to is, black against black, white versus white, Hispanic versus black; all the way down the wide human spectrum of human diversity. It's also man against woman and man against man. In spite of the thousands of years we've occupied this planet we have yet to learn how to treat each other with respect and sensitivity.

 

Disdain for anyone because of the color of their skin is purely a smoke screen. I've know blacks who have hated other blacks because they weren't dark enough. As well as Hispanics who disliked the other because they we'ren't light enough. It is much easier to be indifferent to someone than it is to take time to commit oneself to understanding and becoming involved with another person or group. Indifference is the root of it all.

Loving Ourselves

The other day, as I was waiting for a movie to start, there was a promo for learning what it is to parent. While the antics this young man was pulling off were suppose to be amusing, I couldn't help but be distracted by his appearance. It was not hard to see he was tatooed over his entire body. Only a few covering his arms were visible, there were also a few up to his chin. Perhaps it's my age but I find such things very hard to look at, for it is, to me, a very distinct lack of love for oneself.

 

Most certainly there will be those who will disagree with me vehemently but I have some very strong doubts that God intended our bodies to be treated as canvases. There is an admonition in the Old Testament against tatooing but that isn't my main concerns. Many doctors would most probably assert it is a "safe" practice, there is always the point they are not easily removed. It is more than probable that the tatooee could grow tired of their "body art" and become very frustrated when they find it a permanent fixture.

 

One of the biggest hindrances to true self love is our inability to totally accept ourselves. In my case, during my formative years, I was constantly teased about my kinky, "brillo" like hair and my height. Plain fact of the matter was there was very little I could do about either. Oh sure, I could have sought to straightened my hair or have it "relaxed".  The I could have worn hiked up shoes but I was never into such things. We really never like things that make us different and we carry our appearance insecurities way into adulthood.

 

It wasn't until the Lord helped me to see myself as He saw me (as He had made me) that I came to full acceptance of who I am. I was released from all of the nagging "imperfections" I had accumulated during my early years; finally able to see myself in the light of His love. This is such a  freeing, peace filled view that can only come from Him.

 

So admonish all of you to totally seek after Him for He is not only the "author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), He is also the source of our life.

The Big Two

 

 

In the twenty second chapter of, the first book of the four gospels, (Verses 36-40 to be exact), a learned man of Hebrew law approached Jesus and asked, "What is the greatest commandment?" Knowing that this was one of the many times the religious authorities would try to trip Him up, Jesus replied, in His very straight forward manner, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: Love your neighbor as yourself." He finished up by including that, "All the other commandments and all the demands of God's prophets are encapsulated within these two laws. Keep only these and you will find you are obeying all the others."

 

What a statment! It is absolutely amazing, baffling almost, that the whole Bible, all sixty six books (except for most of the historical narrative portions) can be summed up in those seven little lines. In a way, it's so simple and yet, at the same time, very complicated.

 

For as long as the Church (the entire historical Body Of Christ) has had possession of this knowledge, we have failed to completely grasp the total significance and power of these Biblical statements. Oh, for sure, we've known about them and treated them as doctrine. No doubt there are very few members, of any congregation, who can't cite chapter and verse. And yet, it is primarily head knowledge for most congregants. These two basic commandments have, pretty much, elluded the hearts of the Body of Christ.

 

The biggest stumbling blocks the church has yet to sidestep is the fact that these Big Two work in tandem. In order to truly love one-self we have to learn what it is to truly love God. The one just does not work without the other and we are compelled to follow the divine sequence: God first and then ourselves. It doesn't work any other way.

 

What will always snag us is our stubborn desire to figure things out for ourselves. Relying primarily on own understanding (mixed up with we may have been taught in our respective churches), we believe we know what it is to love God. With some definite assurance I can say, if a minister would ask, "Who here loves God?" 99.9% of them would raise their eager hands. Problem is, there are two psycological components working in the background. First there is that subtle "peer pressure"--nobody wants to feel left out. It's a kind of fear mixed with a wee bit of pride.

 

But, then you have those who firmly believe they do know what it is to love God and they just might have a good grasp of it all. The thing is, God will always have the last word. If we really want to know what it is to love we only need ask Him. And then comes the necessary trial and error phase where we learn from Him what it's all about. Gone are the tried and true Sunday School lessons. They are replaced by the solid rock of God reasoning.

 

Once we have the full knowledge of what it is to love God, then and only then, do we learn how to love ourselves and then others.  And when we learn how to love ourselves and others we will be able to see that most of the ills plaguing the world are present due the lack of the Big Two in the church. I strongly believe if we truly knew what it is to love there would be no racism, no recession, no war, etc. This will be the underlying premise for all future and subsequent entries.