Hope Discovery of the Day:

God accepts all who will call on His Name . . . red, brown, yellow, black and white.

Scripture of the Day:

Acts 17:26

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.”

Romans 10:12-13

“For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Sitting on the school bus with my face down, I did not want to look up. I knew what would happen if I did. Still, I looked up and tried to smile. “What you lookin’ at?” “Nothing, I said”. “You sayin’ I’m nothin’?” “No”. “You wait until we get off this bus, Gringa. Your *** is ***.”

Such was my existence for a few years while I lived in New Mexico. Somehow, the color of my skin and hair made me a target. Plus the fact that I was plain old awkward and shy. A nerd. I said it. Actually, I might still be a nerd. I love to read and study. And I am actually perfectly ok with that now. But back then, it hurt so very much to be threatened. Avoiding fights was commonplace for me. I was pretty good at it. Was even called a “chicken” on many occasions. I was ok with that, too. My brothers would skip school sometimes on Fridays to avoid the knife fights which were typically on Fridays. I just learned how to avoid problems and how to run. Uh .. actually, I was quite slow at running … still am, but you get the point. I did everything I could to avoid conflict.

Seems kind of funny that people would judge one another by the color of their skin. It is just an outside decoration that we all have and we all came from Adam. Still, in the ignorance and strivings of man, people try to insist that one race is better than the other. How sad this must make our Creator who made and delights in each one. He sees His creation as beautiful in the wide vast array of colors and personalities that He placed in each person.

Things have been stirring up again regarding race in our country. Actually, they have never stopped, but sometimes racial issues get brought to the surface again. People march to say that they are the best (wow), and then others march to try to say that they are not. Sounds like kindergarten to me, only kindergartners might have more common sense. We should stand against such ignorance, but all too often, the hate behind the stance of the racist personality spews into violence. The fruit of their behavior reveals where their racism comes from . . . racism is demonic.

My heart grieves over these sins which have been prevalent since the beginning of time. I pray and ask God if there is anything I could say that has not already been said, that might reach some who find themselves either mired in hate because of race or the target, themselves, of racism.

Racism is a sin.

James 2:9 “But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators.”

That verse sums it up pretty well. We are an imperfect people who cannot judge another. But further than that, when we judge the appearance of individuals based on their race, we are judging their Creator, who made them just the way they are. Sounds like a pretty scary position to be in. Sometimes we don’t understand cultural differences and use a person’s exterior to try and label them. Yet the outside of a person cannot even begin to scratch the surface of who a person is. Every person was uniquely made by God. Each one has their own individual appearance and personality. Each one is a reflection of His beauty. Praise God.

Prejudicial behavior is exactly what the word infers – pre-judging. When we judge a book or a person by its cover, we are uninformed and ignorant. Why not see God’s people for the individuals they are, instead of trying to box them in by their beliefs, age, the color or their skin or any other variable?

Prejudice is not a respecter of persons.

I’m a white girl. I have experienced prejudice for my race and for being a woman, Christian, homeschooler and a conservative. Prejudice happens to everyone. Instead of celebrating our differences, prejudice tries to separate people out by the things that make them different, as if we should all be the same. What a boring world that would be. Trying to define superiority by the color of one’s skin is like trying to say a meal is better tasting just by looking at it. The taste buds determine the quality of the food and the character of a person is tested by their actions and integrity.

Even though all people will likely experience judgment from man, we can know that God accepts all who will call on His Name . . . red, brown, yellow, black and white.

We are called to reach the world . . . all of the world with God’s love and grace. Perhaps instead of political speeches, we can be people of grace not people of race. Instead of seeing differences, we can cherish our unique qualities. Instead of esteeming one race as best, we can rejoice that God in His wisdom made all who are a part of the human race. Instead of condemning, we can seek to understand and love one another unconditionally.

Jesus modeled perfect grace and love well when the Samaritan woman at the well wondered why He would even speak to her. God help us to overlook the outside and look to the beauty within each individual. Lives might actually be changed and the acceptance of God will reach lost souls with the message of unconditional love . . . for all.

Lord, help us to see others as you do. Please heal our land and help us to stop judging one another and to think of others as better than ourselves.