#blacklivesmatter ( too )

I had the honor of hearing not one but two messages about race, racism, and faith yesterday at North Point. Shoutout to NPCC for really hitting on a topic that is  controversial and relevant to every single soul.I applaud any and all the speakers who got on stage to express their views and experiences with their candidness. I can only imagine how much courage and trust in God it took to get on that stage. What I want to discuss in this post is some things that I had little to no knowledge about, but was enlightened too last night at NP/NIGHTS. 

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Firstly would be the whole #blacklivesmatter movement. Why this group has been portrayed by some negative light in the media, I genuinely believe it got started with good intentions, but just like any other group, a few bad eggs can spoil it for everyone. The violence and protesting to the point of standing in highways is just crazy, and does not represent the intentions of the entire group. I think what we must understand is that this group just wants to bring attention to the fact that black voices, black lives, and black opinions matter, also. Notice how I said also, because just like any other culture or race, everyone has the right to be heard and acknowledged and not one races voice matters more.  They are not saying that only black lives matter, nor are they discrediting any other race. They just want to bring to the forefront how their voices seem to be overlooked, misinterpreted, or discredited by the vast majority of people and most certainly the media. 

Secondly would be the fact that we are all one race: The human race. We should all love one another and stop the civil war that is going on in this country. We need to stop listening to the media, celebrities, or politicians that only push their social agendas and only cause a larger rift to occur between us all. We also need to stop listening to people who condone violence. violence only breeds more violence.Everyone whether they are black, white, Hispanic, purple, blue have all been saved by the fact Jesus died on the cross for us. I’ll say it again, EVERYONE was shown mercy and grace when Jesus died,because He did so for every single person regardless of color. That makes us all equals in the eyes of the Lord.

Thirdly is that most people have stereotypes of other races because they are uneducated or fearful. I think that if we all took the time to get to know one another, free from agendas or predispositions we could learn some empathy for one another. If we had the chance to sit down and ask questions, be candid, open and honest we could start to see things for what they are, and not what we assume they are.  Maybe, just maybe, we can truly see how our ignorance of the problem has created social divides. That requires us first to back away from our worldly scope, and ask questions, listen, and educate ourselves on the way other races and cultures have to bend and maneuver to accommodate others.

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” – MLK

Lastly, it is hard to see the problem when it is far away. Sure we can all give our opinions on what they  should do over there because their outcome does not effect us. When the problem is close to home is when things get complicated. It is just like when someone gives you horrible relationship advice that you know is completely wrong, because your situation is so far away from them and close to you. So why we all like to act like forensic investigators, judges, and jury through social media we cannot ever tell what truly is right and best for a situation that we are removed from. Let’s all stop being keyboard warriors and try to be respectful of a situation that is potentially far from home. 

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Maybe this post has hit on some points you haven’t ever considered, or maybe you think it was pointless. Regardless, we are all humans with families, jobs, and past that shape us. We should take the time to get to know thy neighbor and love on everyone. Doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with every person you meet, but show everyone grace and mercy the same way Jesus shows you grace and mercy every day. Like it or not, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ no matter our skin color or race. 

“But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes”. – 1 John 2:11