But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
When I write I try to write about things I can relate to, but this issue of racism is something weighing heavy on my heart. As a white woman, I’ll never truly know the pain of racism.
There has never been a time in our countries existence that racism did not exist. I obviously cannot speak for the people who were here before angry European men came to the land and took over, but since that occurred, our country has been in a whirlwind of racist turmoil. “Make America great again”... I am so sick of seeing and hearing this. America may have been great for white people, but what about black people? Was it great when slaves were freed? What was that freedom worth? To be brought to a place unknown, beaten and treated as an animal. To be released to fend for yourself in land that hated you to begin with.
People argue that it’s been so long since slavery and people should get over it. But had the roles been reversed what kind of rage would the white man have? The constant belittling of people because of the color of their skin, just an outward appearance. What about the heart? Because they have a darker complexion they’re less than? The issue is insecurity, racists were raised by insecure people. People who were so low on themselves they found a way to hate others.
This morning I was talking to a dear friend who told me an issue she had with her daughter being bullied on an app about her race. This little girl is the sweetest, most loving brown skinned beautiful girl, her mother likes to call her a little Mother Theresa. Truer words haven’t been spoken about a person. A young white girl made comments on her profile about her being an ugly black girl and that her mom should kill her or give her up for adoption. As I listened to the story (of course I was crying), I was angry at this little girl. How dare her say the things she said. But I had to sit back and get out of my feelings for a moment. This child is being taught to say those things. Whether it’s from her peers, the news, or her parents. She was taught to hate someone based on their complexion. Little did she know that the girl she was talking to, is so beautiful inside and out. She has the heart of someone who doesn’t hate, and her confidence is so on point. She was unbothered by the little girls racist comments.
My fear for her is how easily confidence can be broken when you’re battling people regularly about your appearance. This is America. I know there are plenty of angry people reading this thinking that I don’t know what I’m talking about. But to an extent, I do. I’ve seen it. I worry everyday for my cousins because I know they’ll be seen as black children, despite them being half white. If a racist person sees them, they only see their brown skin.
My hope for her is that she loves her brown skin just as much as I do, or as her mom does. Her brown skin is just as beautiful as my white skin. And her heart, that heart is pure. I hope that no one is able to break her spirit because they can’t stand the color of her skin.
But this is America. The Lord never told us to hate someone because they were different, or because they weren’t from here. Majority of our ancestors weren’t from here and how dare we treat people any less than what they deserve as a human being. And I hope that anyone with racists thoughts on judgment day hears what a disappointment they are. How can you be Christian and hate? I pray for better days.
🙏
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