Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His face upon you and give you Shalom In the name of Sar Shalom – the Prince of Peace.
In two days I am going to be flying over the skiesof the Gulf of Mexico towards Costa Rica. A missional trip traveling to churches and serving in several capacities. I hate flying but I love Costa Rica. The smells, the people, the culture. I especially love going to buy fruits and vegetables when they set up the open air market on the weekend. Paying less than a dollar for your favorite fruits that taste deliciously sweeter than they do in the states is not a bad deal!
Cold showers don’t tend to bother you as much when the weather is great and you’re not surrounded by McDonald’s. So okay, okay, there are still McDonald’s in Costa Rica, but they are not everywhere!
I am looking forward to being there and learning whatever God has in store for me on this trip. I know that there is something, it seems to be a constant process lately. I think the biggest lesson I am learning is to be more aware of myself and how I treat others. Not the way I regard the “whole wide world” but how I react to the people who I view as being closed minded around me. The Bible says to “love each other with genuine affections” (Romans 12:10 NLT), and I really don’t think it means select others.
I also pray that while I am there I will be able to use and expand the gifts God gave me, not hide them out of fear of rejection or looking stupid. Because I do that too!
So, who knows how God is going to expand that, grow that, or kick it up 13 notches? I am excited to be there, and maybe share of some of the passion and conviction that God has given me. But above all, to be a servant. And not complain or resent it. Because I do that too, not out of the spirit of love, but out of the spirit of selfishness. It’s definitely time to stop thinking about myself all the time, and start thinking about everyone else! Costa Rica? Spiritual journey? OR both? We shall see.
There are many issues on all sides of the race fence. In this country the divides have been spread since the beginning of American history. I do not even know where to begin on how to reconcile the loss that is felt through all the cultures in this country because of the psychological and emotional issues that have come as a result of this history. There has to be a better way.
The stark reality of race and socio-economics can be seen in statistics. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the poverty rate for whites was 8.2 %. For blacks it was 24.2 %. Is it time to start realizing that affirmative action has caused not a fair circumstance, but perhaps a wider divide? I have no concrete evidence of this, but I do know that in past years many of the judicial cases concerning AA were brought up by whites, disgruntled by the unfair treatment, asking when is enough enough? Huh? Does this register on the fairness scale?
Is it realistic that we will all come to sing Kum bay a around the campfire one day? I guess that I don’t know, nor do I have any easy answers. But what I do have is the desire to find a better way. A better way other than the segregation that has occurred in this country before and since the Civil Rights movement. Granted, there had to be a start somewhere. But as I look around my city, and read the words written by great leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy, and today Jim Wallis, I wonder how much of the vision has been proclaimed. A vision of freedom for all men, not just white men. And as Wallis points out, “white guilt is not enough.” Is that what I have? Is what I am feeling a sensation of remorse that will really help no one? Except perhaps my own conscience? I am struggling to pull away from that and actually seek a mind of clarity and sense about the subject. After teaching mostly “minority” students (although they are not so much in the minority anymore) I see that opportunities are not equal, all is not fair in peace and education, and that furthermore very little is being done to really rectify the situation.
Big laws like No Child Left Behind seek to address the issue in a purely impersonal way. But as I open my ears and my heart I feel that it is a deeply personal issue. One that should not only be felt by white or black people, but by all people who have come to the United States for a “better life.” Even those cultures who were forced into the United States without choice, or those fleeing from their own oppressive societies. If we claim to be the best nation on earth, we have a funny way of showing it. But as all arguments in my head go, it all comes back to me.
What do I do? I live in a city that has one of the worst treatment of homeless people in the nation, a hugely segregated inner city area, and a record of imprisoning and arresting a much higher number of African Americans than any other race. Problem? Red flag? Do I sit on my ass and feel sorry for the situation? Well, yes I think I’ll do that.
No. Guilt is not enough, talking about it is not enough. Starting with children and the young people around us, that is a good start. Standing up to the issues we see thriving around us is another way to begin acting. Every change must start small. But, you better believe I have something to say about the residential racial discrimination I see going on in my neighborhood. Are we so afraid of diversity? So, if I can do nothing else, I will say something, I will keep my heart open, and I will try to let love, not guilt, be my driving force.
And if your brother becomes poor, and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall maintain him; as a stranger and a sojourner he shall live with you.
Leviticus 25:35; cf. v. 39
What is a sojourner? AskOxford.com describes a sojourn as a temporary stay. When is the last time someone, anyone has stayed temporarily with you? Do you open your home or is it yours? There is probably always someone nearby who needs it. “You shall maintain him.” How beautiful. Is it a responsibility? Or a gift? Maybe it is a bit of both.
I sincerely hope that we remember that all our are bothers and sisters, whether you believe in a God or not. We are all a part of the human race, and races don’t begin and end on the nation’s border.