from the momma of black and white sons on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Over the past several years, I have shared very openly about racism. You see, as the momma of black and white sons, it is something I cannot ignore. As a follower of Jesus Christ, it is something I should not ignore. Racism, at it's very root, is ignorance. And I assure you, friend, it's very much present in our 'progressive, enlightened, open minded' society. We have not progressed to the point of being a people united. And it isn't because Civil Rights leaders haven't tried. It isn't because it's socially acceptable to be racist. Rather, it's because racism is about the fallen nature of human hearts, not the appearance of human skin. 

Today, as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr - his life, his accomplishments, his dream - we would err greatly to not recognize that at the very core of who he was, he was a follower of Jesus Christ. While many have stood for the cause of unity, it has rarely been with the grace and integrity of this great man. Why? Because his stance for unity and the recognition of the value of every person lied within his knowledge that we are each created by the Creator of the universe. We are each knit together in our mother's wombs, in His image. We are each created for a purpose, with a plan and a story authored by Father God. 

We are also each born with a choice. A choice to acknowledge Him, or not. And even once we have surrendered to Him as our Lord and Savior, we are daily faced with the choice to love like Him, or not.

Our daughter told us the other day that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day is her favorite holiday, besides Christmas. Not surprised, I asked her to explain why. Her reasoning was simple, after Jesus, he was her favorite hero. He stood for TRUTH in LOVE. He didn't shrink back or slander. He didn't relent and he didn't retaliate. He was first, a man of God. Which is why he led in the Civil Rights arena - and in life - well. He was a follower, who led others after the truth of the One he followed.

Below, I am sharing some of the posts I have written on facebook regarding racism in our current culture. We each have a responsibility to speak TRUTH in LOVE. I'd love to hear from you in the comments! How are you celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr today? What steps can you take in your life, and in your community, to spread love and take a stand for truth?

​Nov 26, 2014 11:54am
I've been praying for not only Ferguson, but the division in our world - our country - the CHURCH - for quite some time. It grieves my heart to know that there are those who truly believe there is no 'issue' with race in modern society. And that there are those who believe the only issue is race. It saddens me to know that on both sides there are those who would condone or condemn based merely on the color of skin - and that taking a side doesn't default to taking the side of Christ, falling to our knees, and asking God for mercy, justice, and peace.

Love is not color-blind, it's color-RICH! It appreciates the uniqueness of the way God created each of us and it strives to honor Jesus by honoring others. Jesus never commanded us to take a stand for our personal prejudices - He commanded us to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice.

The generalizations, rationalizations, assumptions, and accusations separate us when we need each other most. Yes, it's imperative to stand for and on truth. But the most important truth is that Jesus, in His great mercy, died for the world - each and every person. We cannot ignore the pain and reality of racism. Neither can we feed into the lies of the enemy by using it as a justification to act hatefully.

​Our fight is not now - nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be - against flesh and blood. Our fight is against a very real Enemy, named Satan, who seeks only to steal, kill, and destroy. Can I humbly ask each of us to pray - pray before we talk, before we post, before we let our emotions and opinions take us over. Pray for the peace and healing that come only through Jesus. Pray that we can be part of the solution, by loving like Jesus and fighting TOGETHER for His Kingdom!

​Jul 06, 2016 10:16pm
Today, as my heart was aching for the Sterling family, I grabbed up my J in a hug and held him tightly. I tried hard not to cry, but the tears fell anyway. Not understanding why Momma was literally crying over him, I simply looked deep into his beautiful dark brown eyes and told him I love him.
 
Friends, this is not the way it should be. We should not be raising 2 of our boys to be more vigilant and careful, so as not to find themselves on the receiving end of excessive force... violence... murder... just because their skin is darker. We should not be talking to our 5 year old boys, trying to explain why people look at them funny in public because they're brothers. Our boys - all 4 of them (or however many God may bless us with!) should all grow up knowing the love of Jesus and experiencing the freedom our country so proudly proclaims.
 
We HAVE to call sin sin. We HAVE to call injustice injustice. We HAVE to call hate hate. We HAVE to call racism racism.
 
Mostly, as believers, we HAVE to call out the fear and prejudice within ourselves so that the safe places of our homes extends to our streets. We all have them: prejudices and preconceived ideas - no matter our racial, social, or economic make up. It doesn't make us monsters, it makes us people who are afraid of what we don't understand.
 
So ask. Question what you don't know in love. In a safe place. Wrestle with yourself and with God and with the differences that make you uncomfortable. And acknowledge that you may not feel the same about everyone, but that doesn't mean you aren't commanded to LOVE them.
 
And then love. Whatever that looks like. Don't wait until the next senseless tragedy. Do it now. Do something NOW to show that you are not allowing this to fester in the darkness any longer, but instead you are asking Him to shine His light so that His love can shine through you.

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​Sep 25, 2016 1:17pm
Yesterday, J and I went to his older brother's football game. It is the first time in 2 years that he has seen his biological siblings in person. God has brought so much healing to his precious little heart, that he was able to enjoy his time with them - and even when he was unsure, he regulated his emotions and responded amazingly well!

While we were leaving the game, there was a state police officer. I bent down and told J he could go thank them. He ran over, smiled up at the big, white man in his police uniform and said, 'Thank you, sir!' The police officer smiled down at my little, black boy and said 'You're very welcome, young man! Have a great day and be safe!'

I didn't think much of it. It's something we've taught all our children to do - to thank those in uniform for their service. But as J was speaking to the officer, the adoptive mother of J's siblings - who is a relative to the family - looked at me with an expression I couldn't place. When we were a distance away she said, 'I just want to tell you thank you - and I noticed. How you are trying to help James be comfortable with police officers. That means a lot.'

I smiled at her and said simply, 'I'm not just trying to make J comfortable with police officers. I'm trying to help them be comfortable with him, too.'

I'm not black, and I'm also not blind. Racism is not imagined or something we have overcome. It's an ignorance and a hatred deep within the hearts of sinful men and women. An innate inability to value, appreciate, respect, and cherish others purely because they're different than us. Racism isn't just whites against blacks or blacks against whites. It's woven into the framework of a broken human race. A broken human race in need of a Savior.

The ugliness that we're seeing across our nation isn't just somewhere else or on the news. It's in our own neighborhoods - grocery stores - community centers. The solution isn't reform or a different political party or additional laws. It's love.
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The kind of love Jesus poured out for us on the cross. The kind of love that moved Jesus to sit at the well with a Samaritan woman who lived a life of adultery. The kind of love that had Him reveal to her before His disciples that He was the Son of God --- her Messiah, her Redeemer, her Savior.
They will know us by our love. Not by our political affiliation, bumper stickers, diplomas, job descriptions, or hashtags. But by our LOVE.
How can we love like Jesus today? This hurting world could certainly use it.

January 5 at 11:43am 
Silence in the face of any horrific act is wrong. Minimizing things in an attempt to appease the public is deplorable. Racism is hatred. And hate crimes are defined by a crime committed out of hatred towards an entire people group based on their race, gender, religion, or sexuality.

By the very definition, what happened to the young man in Chicago was a heinous hate crime, fueled by racism. I am appalled that this would even be a discussion after the release of a video that includes screaming vulgarities and racial slurs while torturing a mentally handicapped person. It does our country and the people in it no favors to skirt disgusting displays of racism, wherever they originate and whoever they are perpetrated by.

As the body of Christ, we HAVE to open our eyes, call sin sin, and shine brightly His love. We cannot excuse some and not others. We cannot incriminate some and not others. We cannot cry foul at some, and not others.
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I am the white momma of both white and black boys, and I unequivocally abhor the blatant racism that exists in this free country we are raising them in. Our family has experienced blatant racism from white and black people - towards us and our children. Hatred will live in the heart of any human who does not carefully guard against it. That is part of our sin nature.

We have to talk about racism, because it exists. It exists in the blatant forms shown in the video I referenced, and it exists in the hearts and words of those who group 'your people' 'our people' 'those people' 'their kind.' It exists in the use of racial slurs used to describe entire people groups based on their assumption and implication that all people of the same colored skin, or even same geographic location or economic group, think and act the same.

If you are tired of the race conversation, than I challenge you to do something about it. If you believe only people who look a certain way are hurt and tremendously impacting by racism, I challenge you to think again. If you assume only people deserving of hatred, or only people with privilege, are on either side of this hatred - you are wrong.

These things don't change themselves, They don't go away if we ignore them long enough or try to explain them away. These are heart issues. Sin issues, not skin issues. And not a single one of us humans is immune to the dire need to guard our hearts against them.
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Y'all, we need to pray. And then, we need to love. And love well. Like JESUS. Jesus, who loved well by serving. Jesus who stopped at the well and out of all the people He could proclaim His righteousness and display His glory to, chose a Samaritan woman. Jesus who spoke out against injustice, and was moved with compassion.

How are you honoring Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr by standing against racism? Do you talk openly with your children and others about the realities and evils of racism? How do you guard against racism in your own heart?