Hello everyone!
I have been thinking about today's blog for about a week. I attended the TobyMac Hit's Deep tour last week and there was some wonderful commentary about the very fact that we are one people in this nation. We trully do all bleed the same as Mandisa so elloquently put it! We have forgotten this and we must remember it again if we are to heal from the division we see pervading this country and many of our communities.
I have shared some of my thoughts on Facebook but I want to share them here as well. Let this blog be the catalyst for many conversations and much understanding.
Racial bias and violence is a problem we all must face. It has long been our nation's problem - hiding itself so neatly in the shadows and just under the surface but it has always been there like cancer waiting to spread. It is our nation's wound to heal from and it is each of our's responsibility to do our part in our own communities, at the ballot box and yes from the pulpit.
When we see black Americans killed by over zealous officers for no reason, we should say something. When we see police brutality toward any person of any color in these United States, we should say something. When we see police killed for no reason in our communities, we should say something. When we hear hate speech toward a group of people, we should say something. We should hold our politicians and our courts accountable to condemn and prosecute those who involve themselves in racially motivated and other hate crimes.
We trully are all one. I wasn't just saying a line from a song to sound cool. We all bleed the same red blood and have many of the same hopes and dreams for ourselves and our families. Black people aren't thugs because they are black. White people aren't rascist because they are white. All police aren't bad police. Latinos aren't illegal immigrants just because they are Latino. Illegal immigrants are also people and must be treated well as God instructs in Leviticus 19. All of us are people God loves and people God made. When we forget these things, we fall prey to division, strife and make ourselves vulnerable to those who would wish to take our freedoms from us. America, is that what you want? It's not what I want for this country and it's not what God wants either. I am here to tell you God is all about diversity and difference. Heaven will be filled with diverse cultures and races. There will be no flags, no boundry line and no countries. We won't need them because we will love everyone and we will be one people! We can bring Heaven to earth if we will learn to love our neighbor as ourself. We can end this division! We can end this strife!
Let us remember who we are! Let us remember once again America! We are all one!
Remembering,
Elizabeth