Enkindling

Yesterday I arrived in New Jersey for a week long business trip. I scheduled an early flight so I could get to my hotel and settle with enough time to visit Manhattan for the rest of the day. Little did I know how uninformed I truly am as to my identity in Christ.

I arrived at the hotel, unpacked my bags, and set out for the train from my hotel in New Jersey to downtown Manhattan. My first stop after departing the train in Penn Station was Times Square. Along the way you run into all kinds of people from all over the world. It’s a fascinating place to be. The people, sights, and sounds are like no place else. As I walked I could hear a man shouting in the distance. A crowd was gathered around him. He was a black man wearing some sort of traditional African clothing. He stood on top of two 6 foot high speakers with a microphone. Surrounding the speakers were several men who appeared to be with him commanding every one who walked by to listen. Of course I had to stop for this. In that few minutes I learned the true Jews were in fact black. In fact, God is black as well. The evidence of this as we were told is by the brown tint in all of our skin. Little did he know I was nursing a nasty sunburn. At the time of this writing there is definitely no brown tint to my skin. Nor has there ever been. There is no way the shade of red I am displaying could be mistaken for brown tint! The man asked me if I wanted to comment. What do you think?

I began by pulling up my pants legs and shirt sleeves and asking him and the crowd if they could see any brown tint to my skin. All said no. So I asked him… Does this mean I am an outcast from God’s kingdom? Guess what? He told me it was not about the color of my skin! Oh really? I asked. Then why are you making those comments? Please tell me what it is about then? The man then motioned to a guy from his team. The guy grabbed my arm and began pulling me away because he wanted to consult with me and offer guidance. I shrugged his arm off and asked him not to touch me again. In the meantime, a NYC police offer approached who was monitoring the event. He asked if I was ok. I said yes. However, I was not finished with my questions. Next I asked the man: What is the kingdom of God about? He paused. Then I told him all I have heard are statements about Jews, God, and color. But you have said it is not about color. So, please tell us what it is about? By this time I was shouting because he was trying to shout over me and ignore me. The police officer stood behind me. The man then informed the crowd they were finished with the speech and put down the microphone. I asked him for a conversation. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I was encouraged to speak with several people in the crowd afterwards.

I know these kinds of things happen all the time. Yet, I am still amazed and perplexed. In all fairness, these arguments have been presented from Caucasians as well. Therefore, I am left with a few questions. Who do I say Jesus is? How do I know for sure I am accepted into His kingdom? What does the color of any one’s skin have to do with entering the kingdom of God? I am so thankful my identity as a Christian is not dependent on anything other than santification through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.

Romans 3: 21 - 25 21But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight–not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. 22We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. 23For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.

Luke 10:38-42 tells of a visit Jesus had with two sisters of Lazarus named Mary and Martha:

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! 42 There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it–and I won’t take it away from her.”

My mother passed away 11 years ago. When I received the news my heart sank because I did not know if she had ever accepted Jesus. I left Seattle immediately to go to North Carolina and make arrangements for her funeral. While there I met a pastor who agreed to conduct the memorial service. As we talked he asked me if I was worried about her eternity. Tears ran down my face as he told me my mother had come to his church two months prior. He took me in the church and showed me the steps where my mother knelt down to ask Christ to save her. My prayers all those years had been answered!

When I was twelve I was invited by my best friend’s (Kevin) family to attend a youth bible study on a Friday night. It was there that I heard a woman named Iris share how she had used drugs and been a prostitute. A man witnessed to her as they sat on a curb where she worked. She spoke of how Jesus saved her from a life of addiction and shame. I knew if Jesus could do that for Iris He could do it for me. That night I accepted Christ as my Lord, Savior, and best friend.

All of these women have something in common which brings me great joy. All knelt at Jesus’ feet. All stood up a LADY. And He washed them snow white.

Every time I have a conflict with someone I try to take a step back and ask myself what is it about me that is having a problem? Asking myself that question helps me put things into perspective. And as a Christian, whether we like it or not, we are required to do that. It all goes back to the Beatitudes and Fruits of the Spirit. This is one of many words of wisdom a good friend of mine, Rod Smith has bestowed on me. The hardest part for me is to ask myself that question before taking any action. That is a struggle I often encounter. And I have failed that test many times. I’ll call it a growth opportunity for now. If you are reading this and I failed with you I humbly ask for your apology.

Communicating with Rod always challenges me to think. I am ecstatic that he is blogging. If you look on the right hand side of the page you are reading now you will see a heading titled “Blogs you should read”. As you can see, I have linked Rod’s blog, “Difficult Relationships” to mine. I highly recommend you check it out. I cannot predict what you will feel when you read his stuff. I think it is a safe bet to assume you will be provoked to thought. I hope you will do as I have and not use what he writes to blast someone else. Instead, try looking in a mirror as you read each statement. Introspection is always better than persecution.

I am attaching some links to three articles which have always challenged me. I strive to become (as Rod defines it) a Self-Differentiated, Trustworthy, Adult. As always, I trust in God’s grace and mercy to make this complete.

Click on each word below to introspectively read the article:

• Self-Differentiation
• Trustworthy
• Adult