white privilege

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” Do you remember singing that? I do. We sang it almost every Sunday. I never thought about the gravity of those words, not because they weren’t impressed upon me, but because I never had to. I’ve never been profiled. I’ve never been scared of a cop. I’ve never feared that a morning run would be the last time I saw my family. I’ve never feared for my husband’s safety or daughter’s safety because of the color of their skin. I’ve never been on the receiving end of hateful racists comments. I am a white female. I have white privilege.

I can reach for my phone. I can go on a run. I can be pulled over knowing that I will be safe. Do something for me? Make a list of all the places you have gone, all the things you have done, just the normal day to day activities you are involved in.

Were you scared at the grocery store today? Were you scared when you passed the cop on the interstate? Did you think twice when you went for your morning run or went to grab your phone out of your pocket?

THAT IS WHITE PRIVILEGE.

Sounds crazy right? Those are all normal things you do in a normal day. Why should you be afraid?

THE ABILITY TO FUNCTION ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS DOING NORMAL THINGS SAFELY SHOULD NOT BE A PRIVILEGE. IT IS A RIGHT.

No one should live in fear, no one should have to walk on eggshells for their safety. I’m typing this with so much anger that my fingertips are hurting. This angers me. It should anger you to. Our brothers and sister in Christ are being battered and murdered because they look suspicious. We have to stand up and walk beside those who are living in justified fear.

I’ve been pondering these words. I’ve been praying for God to give me the right thing to say. The past few weeks I have been working my way through the Old Testament. I was taught the stories in Sunday School and have known all the “big events,” but have never chosen to dive into it until now. As I read this morning, it felt like God gave me the words that I needed to hear and that so many other need to hear. In chapter 16 of 1st Samuel, Samuel follows the Lord’s command and makes his way to see Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the next King. Jesse had many sons and as Samuel sized them up he was shocked as the Lord rejected each of the sons until he got to David. David was the youngest of the bunch. He was not the strongest, nor the biggest. In fact, he tended the sheep.

While first reading this story it felt like it was just the build up to David’s reign, but something told me to read back through. When I did I was brought to tears. 1st Samuel 16: 6-7 reads,

“6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Verse 7 resonated with me. In a time of such separation and chaos we are failing to see people the way that the Lord intended us to.

We are meant to see people for their heart, just as the Lord did David.

We are called to love thy neighbor, not to check to make sure they are white and then love them. So I, the white female and all my white privilege choose to see people the way the Lord saw David, for his heart. I am only one person, but I will not sit and say nothing. I will not sit back and watch God’s children be persecuted for the color of their skin.

I will not raise my daughter to associate worth with skin tone. I pray for our nation.

I pray for our leaders. I pray for our black brother and sisters. I pray that soon the words “white privilege” are replaced with “human rights”

No one should have to live in fear.

No one should be denied basic human rights.

We are the children of God.

We are all the same in his eyes.

We are loved.

If I could share my white privilege I’d gladly dole it out to the masses. If being the key word. This will not change overnight. We won’t wake up tomorrow with breaking news of equality. It is a battle, but it one worth fighting.

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”