As believers we want to be part of the solution, not the problem. To solve a problem, we need to understand it. I asked my friend Tara Kenchen to help us have a better understanding of how we can be part of the solution in healing the racial divide in our land. I hope you’ll read and share Tara’s wisdom.
Healing Our Land
My youngest daughter Briya was not yet 2 years old when she started pounding her tiny fists against her father’s chin. He appeared to be both stunned and confused. She had been trying to explain something to him that he didn’t understand. She repeated herself a few times before succumbing to anger and frustration getting his attention in a different way.
From her perspective, she was talking and he either was not listening or didn’t understand. And truthfully, at the time, whatever was evidently very important to her was probably not as important to him (or me for that matter).
I intervened, picking her up, calming her down, and providing a little instruction of “Baby, you can’t hit daddy.” And though I didn’t advocate her “hitting daddy” I did understand. I understood what it meant to talk and be unheard and to be in the presence of people who even when they heard, did not understand. I understood then and I understand now.
Just like Briya, right now people are pounding the chin of our nation forcing themselves to be heard—screaming about the injustice they feel they’ve tried to communicate many times before.Continue Reading