Teaching Tuesday / Prejudice: Not Born But Taught

Something awful and something amazing happened Sunday afternoon. I was already grieved in my spirit because of George Floyd's death and all the rioting that was taking place in our nation. Then one of sons posted on FB a pic of himself in his deputy uniform with one of his little girls in the back seat, and across the pic was written "Back the Blue". When I saw it, the horrifying thought hit my brain that someone could kill him my dear son just because he chooses to serve in a law-enforcement capacity. Followed by the thought of oh my gosh I have 6 in my immediate family (among my children and in-loves) that wear uniforms in various positions from Trooper to Army, from Navy to Deputy , and from Guard to Policeman. With all the rioting, I realized that they all could be in danger just because they wear uniforms. I began to weep!

As my mind raced with these nightmarish thoughts, another realization came. All their skin colors vary from black, white, to brown. See, we are a multi-racial family - we are Hispanic, black, white, and biracial mixes of all kind. I'm white with freckled skin which put me in alignment with much torturous teasing as a child, but now I tell my children that God knew I was going to have children every color of all my varying freckles. But back to following along this thought pattern of our varying skin colors, the terrifying thought came that some of my family members could die because of the color of their skin. I have grandkids and in-loves that are black, and biracial children that are black and white. I love them with my whole heart, and I wept some more!

With all these thoughts and emotions racing through my mind and body, another extremely sobering thought hit my brain.

"I used to be prejudice, too!"

Wave after wave of mortified shame and grief washed over me as I squalled my eyes out! I had at least been privy in a small way for what is taking place in my country. I had participated in the prejudice and judging of others because their skin did not match my own. What now is even more horrifying is the realization that even after I repented of the prejudice that I was taught as a child, AS AN ADULT I HAVE REMAINED ALMOST SILENT AT THE INJUSTICES COMMITTED AGAINST MY OWN CHILDREN growing up in the Deep South. I should have screamed when white children informed me that they weren't allowed to sit beside my brown children in church because their parents had told them not to. I should have made public the letter asking me to take my black kids to a black church. I should have rebuked those that cussed us out because how dare we bring brown and black children into our family and their neighborhood. I should have confronted those 'Christian" parents who said their white children couldn't date my children because of the color of mine's skin. But I'm ASHAMED to say that I didn't. I remained silent and my silence has helped to create the world we are living in today, this world of violence, hatred, and riots. The tears of remorse refused to stop falling, and I cried for about 3 hours.

Well, I've shared the awful, now I want to tell you the amazing! If you follow my blogs you will remember that last Tuesday I taught on "Be A Voice!" The amazing thing is that I have found my voice! I can no longer sit silent. In case, you didn't catch it - most of the injustices against my children of color and our family because we chose to love them were done by people who label themselves 'Christian"! I'm not judging , not my job! It's God's! Like I said I was taught prejudice so I understand up to a point, but understanding and justifying it are two different things. I also know to UNLEARN something even if it was wrong teaching YOU HAVE TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT. Values and ideals that's been ingrained and taught to us as children leave impressions on us into adulthood. But in the name of Jesus, you can be free from the doctrines of man like prejudice . It's uncomfortable, but like one of my daughters said this week - we need to have these uncomfortable conversations.

My whole point in sharing this blog is to issue a clarion call to the Body of Christ that you stop and examine your heart. Perhaps you, like myself, were taught prejudice, but PREJUDICE is just like any other sin. It can be repented of and replaced with Daddy God's love. And yes, dear brothers and sisters, prejudice is sin! We must repent. That means we must turn from our wicked ways of thinking. In the book of Acts, God tells Peter, who was a Jew, to not be prejudiced against the Gentiles. Peter had been taught all his life to not associate with Gentiles that they were unclean. In the Amplified version, Acts 11:9 it says, "What God has pronounced clean, no longer consider common (unholy)." In Galations, Paul tells us, "In Christ's family there can be no division . . . Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ." (Galations 3:25-28, MSG) In Revelation, John saw a multitude from every nation in Heaven . Have you ever wondered how he knew they were from every nation? I bet it was because their skin was different colors. So, I beg you, brothers and sister, ask God to cleanse you from the sin of prejudice that's ripping our nation apart.

Now, for those of you, like me, who have been delivered from prejudice, or maybe, praise God ,you have never been taught or exposed to its ugliness , but also, like me, you have been silent at the injustices that you've seen in regards to race and skin color. I beseech you - BE SILENT NO MORE! Will you join me in speaking out? Will you join me in teaching our children that God loves color - all color - and that we should, too? Let's be intentional about loving others that are different. That young woman or man might be my child, or grandchild, or it could be yours. Let's be intentional about spreading God's love to all races regardless of the color of their skin . . . Jesus was!

#TeachingTuesday #PrejudiceNotBornButTaught #GeorgeFloyd #PrejudiceNoMore