Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Are we really on the right path to end racism?

As I was drinking my morning coffee, my mind wandered to the yard at the place I used to work in San Diego. It was an animal shelter and on the fence where we would take the dogs to play was a sign that read, "Respect all Life." As I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed and watch the news, it is evident that we don't do that very well.

I see videos and photos of disrespect to all manners of people: black, white, Hispanic, business owners, rich people, poor people, old people and young. The preponderance of evidence that we are all taking sides: Black lives matter, Police lives matter, Immigrant lives matter, White lives matter. And my mind and heart keeps heading back to that sign in the play yard at my old job: Respect all Life. All lives matter. every single one.

We all seem to be so busy making sure our voice is heard, that our side of the issue is respected and acknowledged, that none of us are listening. The saddest part is we are all so busy pointing out our differences, that we don't see that we are all saying the same thing. We are all hurting and we all want peace.

On the heals of the Civil Rights movement, Satan began feeding this country a lie that we have believed for years. As long as we get justice for the wrongs of the past, we will have peace and harmony. Justice for the past is what matters, that is what will produce peace and harmony for the future right? Wrong!

Justice does punish those who have done wrong and there is a place for justice, but if the goal is peace, justice is not the answer. Forgiveness is. The irony is this is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his contemporaries preached. That is why the Civil Rights movement had so many successes. They did not focus on righting the wrongs of the past, they focused on righting the viewpoint of people for the future. They strategically did things that caused people to listen, not riot, to pray not point fingers, to come together for change, not against each other for justice.

The cause is still and always has been the same. We want peace and respect for all life, no matter the color, the gender, the race or the creed. But if peace is the goal, the way is not through justice, the way is through forgiveness, grace and understanding. It is not through making sure your point is heard, it is through active listening to the point of view of another. The way is not through posting a counterpoint on your social media page, but through the unselfish giving, listenning and prayers for the hurting.

Compassion that ends for a person just because you don't agree with their actions is not compassion at all. It is easy to have compassion and understanding for those who do what you do, live the way you live and think they way you think. We all want compassion when we are the ones that are in the wrong, but the real test is your ability to give compassion when someone else is in the wrong, and you are able to see past the action to the hurting and scared heart of the person who is acting out.

And here is the point: Hurt, fear, anger, these things are not exclusive to any race or gender or creed or station. These things are common to all life. I am compelled to believe that when we can stop looking at our differences and judging them as good or bad, and start focusing on our common emotions and common goals, we will begin to make our way towards peace.

Philippians 3:13-14: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

When we have been wronged and are hurting, justice seems to be the thing we want, but I ask you: Will justice bring you peace? Will Justice change the future? I believe the answer is no. Justice does punish the one who has wronged you, but justice does not change the future or create healing, only forgiveness, understanding and love does that.

If we want a nation that is not racist and is at peace we must stop defining things by race. Instead of respecting an individual group, let's respect all life, respect all culture, respect all. You don't have to agree with someone to respect them, listen to them or find a place of common ground, even if that ground is as simple as you both want peace.

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