Racist
Baby Girl,
Last night, we talked about your prejudice against those who are living in poverty. Let's go ahead and cover the other end of the spectrum. You also have an underlying prejudice against people who are financially well-off.
Don’t argue. Just listen.
You have had conversations with multiple people over many years saying that you would rather live in a studio apartment on the wrong side of town than to live in a neighborhood full of judgmental rich people.
You did not use those exact words but remember that I know your heart.
Lower your defenses while I talk. You’re concerned about how these letters will make you look?
Who are you trying to impress?
You don’t want people to know about those prejudices you try so hard to pretend are not there?
Do you remember what I said about appearing unoffendable?
You do not want me to APPEAR unoffendable, you want me to BE unoffendable.
Correct, and I don’t want you to APPEAR to not be racist. I want you to NOT BE racist.
It will be over a year before this letter will be released, and by then, your heart will be completely different. You will have repented, because you’re very quick to do that when confronted with the Truth these days, and you will have a much more godly perspective than you have right now.
You believe you have had a big advantage in understanding humanity because you have interacted with a broad spectrum of people from various racial, educational, occupational, religious, and economic backgrounds.
You are not as knowledgeable as you think you are. You are, in fact, quite ignorant. Just as knowing ABOUT Me, with your limited human understanding, was insufficient data to claim to KNOW Me…
- 5 MINUTES LATER-
Really? You went to get a giant bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios mid-sentence? Do you think those Cheerios will make this conversation easier to swallow?
And another bite…
Take a break. Go eat your cereal. Switch the laundry over so you can stop trying not to forget to do that before bed and then come back to Me. We’re not done yet but you’re obviously not feeling comfortable about this subject.
- 10 MINUTES LATER -
Two huge bowls minutes before bed. That’s not going to feel great. I’m glad you sensed that the third bowl might be overkill. Dismiss those disordered thoughts the enemy is suggesting and take a deep breath. This is a hard conversation - but we need to have it.
Look up the definition of racist.
Characterized by or showing prejudice (preconceived - formed before having the evidence for its truth or usefulness - opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience), discrimination (the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability), or antagonism (active hostility or opposition) against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized (treated as insignificant or peripheral).
You are racist.
Racist doesn’t have to mean that you discriminate in unkind ways against anyone.You don’t.
You discriminate in what you have always considered very “Christ-like” ways. You’re close, but the posture of your heart is off just a little. You still pity people based on your perception of their age, ethnicity, disabilities, or financial status. That is a form of discrimination.
Look up what I told you about pity.
Pity = to feel sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others.
You pity people because you feel superior to them.
The only thing that you are to pity in another person is spiritual poverty. Period.
You’ve been emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed because you pity almost everyone.
You pity people in poverty because you perceive that you have it better than they do.
You pity people who are overweight because that has been a paralyzing fear in your life.
You pity people who are sick because you are not.
You pity people who are in bad marriages because you know how hard that is.
You pity people who are lonely.
You pity people with mental illness and depression because you’ve experienced it and it’s terrible.
You pity people who feel misunderstood.
You pity single moms.
You pity students who struggle in school.
You pity students who don’t feel challenged by school and are bored.
You pity people with developmental delays.
You pity people caught in addiction.
You pity people with family members caught in addiction.
You pity widows.
You pity rich people, because their neighbors judge them by how manicured their lawn is.
You pity people who judge other people while you are judging them.
Is there anyone you don’t pity?
Being racist doesn’t mean that you are antagonistic against anyone. You aren’t.
You are racist because of prejudice.
You have formed preconceived opinions about pretty much every people group in existence and your opinions are not based on evidence of Truth or the usefulness of those opinions.
Many of your opinions are based loosely on very limited interactions with one person or a small group of people who IN NO WAYrepresent that people group as a whole. Some of your opinions are subconsciously based on what characters on TV shows or movies in a particular subset of people are portrayed as.
Racism is, at its very core, ignorance. As we have talked about many times, ignorance just means a lack of knowledge or understanding.
If you were to live with the understanding that you are ignorant with every human being you interacted with, you would be one of the wisest humans to ever live.
Understanding and accepting your ignorance fosters curiosity.
Curiosity leads to understanding.
Understanding leads to acceptance.
Acceptance leads to wisdom.
Wisdom leads to influence.
Influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.
If you want to influence people for the Kingdom of Heaven, you need to view people as they are seen in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no skin color, race, ethnicity, size, ability, disability, status or lack of status, educational levels or religious affiliation. There is no language barrier, social class, or financial status.
In light of the Kingdom of Heaven, there are sons and daughters and there are unadopted children longing for a place to call home.
You are the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth and you are called to meet those needs compassionately where you are able, but the only thing that you are to pity in another person is spiritual poverty.
When spiritual poverty is resolved in a person’s heart and mind, everything else you tend to pity tends to resolve itself over time.
I don’t want you to just APPEAR to not be racist. I want you to NOT BE racist.
Time for bed.
No sermons.
Just let Me hold you again tonight.
This was a hard one. Listen for My Heartbeat and let yours fall in rhythm with Mine.
I LOVE you,
Daddy
James 2:1,4,9