Long Way Here

“The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny follower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
~ Therese of Lisieux

Beloved, be who you are today, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet, inside and out. Please do not allow others to convince you that any form of social blindness is good—color blindness, sexuality blindness, body blindness, or whatever. Instead, be conscious of who you are, because the God who formed you is fully conscious of who you are. You are seen. Live seen and awaken to your beauty.

As for those who want to bury their minds in some form of social blindness, pray for them that one day they too will awaken to beauty.

“Hatred is not a creative force. Love alone creates. Suffering will not prevail…it only melts us down and strengthens us.”
~ Maximilian Kolbe (1894-1941)

Kolbe, a Polish priest, died in the place of another man in the German death camp of Auschwitz. Franciszek Gajowniczek was chosen for the starvation bunker. When he lamented, “My wife! My children!” Kolbe was moved with compassion and volunteered to take his place. Kolbe survived the two week sentence and was put to death by lethal injection. It is reported that he calmly raised his arm for injection.

The hatred of others stirred Kolbe’s soul and awakened him to the evil around him. The love of Christ that he held deep within his soul created life for another. The love of God became his courage and the presence of Christ became his strength. Even in chains Kolbe was free.

Hatred may awaken us, whether it comes from others or from our own hearts. But hatred does not offer solutions. Only love can do that. Love alone creates. Love alone liberates.

I love the rain. It reminds me that if the ground needs rest and to be refreshed, so do I. It also reminds me of some of my favorite childhood memories with my Grandma Liggin, taking walks in the rain barefoot to catch raindrops in our hands, pausing along the way to sit on the curb and make mud pies.

I know that for some, rain brings dreariness. For me, rain brings memories of joy and and invitation to pause and rest.

Compiling data, weighing facts, and sorting out feelings through reason and logic will not transform people’s hearts or bring renewal. Hope, as described by the Christian tradition and pronounced by the poet-prophets of the Hebrew tradition, will challenge the claims of what we think we see. Hope opens the world beyond reason. Hope gives access to tensions and contradictions that disrupt our cleanly managed logic. Hope not only remembers but wonders and imagines and even proposes a new way forward.

I choose hope.

58 years ago today four girls were killed by white supremacist terrorism while at Church. Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, and Cynthia Wesley.

I wil not forget this day either.

#16thStreetBaptistChurch