We have a problem. And I am part of it.
God desires fullness of life for every being,
but some are denied and excluded. Whole
races, genders, identities and natures are denied,
and I am part of the problem.
I carry my white, male, straight Christian privilege
through a world where few have that.
My privilege comes at others’ expense.
It’s not my fault. But I am part of the problem.
I don’t always know exactly what to do.
But I am always choosing either to disrupt it
or to allow it to persist. There is no standing by.
Racism is a fire in the house:
either you are actively trying to put it out
or you are letting it burn.
Either the suffering of your siblings wounds you
and you yourself are outraged and yearning,
or you are not—which is the problem.
Those who don’t look like you are just like you
except for how they are treated.
Either you think of them as “them,” or as “us.”
Either it is your problem, or you are part of the problem.
When we work together there is hope.
Even though the work is never done,
when we work together to solve the problem
we solve the problem.
We can do this. There is hope.
There is hope.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
January 31, 2020