Have a change of heart
My parents, having spent several years living in the U. S. Midwest in the 1960s observed first hand overt racism and bigotry.
I have heard them tell stories about friends of theirs, who had positions of authority, openly declare their hatred toward persons of colour.
On the street where my parents lived in their midwestern city, were members of the African American community; my parents, having been raised in small-town New Brunswick, and generally away from the specific racial tensions found in the U. S., had no issue associating with them.
Yet, these individuals were often fearful of what might happen to them simply for living in a climate of vitriol. Even my father felt fearful at times of what could happen to him due to his association with people of colour.
Though such an experience happened in the 1960s, we still find in the U. S. these same types of attitudes. Whether it’s a president, a governor, a police officer or an average individual, there is racism, bigotry and hatred. And it isn’t just to or from whites and blacks, but amongst many different cultural backgrounds, languages, sexes or nationalities.
Hatred for hate’s sake is wrong. Education helps to dispel myths and bigotry, but it cannot change the heart. At the core, hatred is a heart issue. It is the heart that must be changed.
Earlier, I said we still find racial attitudes in the U. S. I would like to assume that we in Canada are better than that; but we know this isn’t true. Though, in some respects, we don’t share the same scale or version of bigotry as found in the U. S., we certainly have our brand.
Whether it is French, English, First Nations, whites, or people of religious affiliations, individuals from these and other groups have, and continue to show hatred toward members of differing groups.
As I said, hatred for hate’s sake is wrong. But I can contend that there is a righteous anger that should be prevalent in our society. When acts or words of bigotry occur – not simply opposing viewpoints, but actual signatories of hate – then we should not accept it.
Why has racism been able to fester in the U. S. and Canada, for instance, for generations? I would say, because it has been allowed to. Much has been done via education, and policy, yet hatred endures. One cannot mandate morality… one cannot change the heart of man.
As a follower of Jesus, I know that the gospel message of transformation is for all. God tells us He is no respecter of persons. He created and cares for us all. His salvation is for every tribe, nation and tongue who would receive it.
God did not create humanity as a homogenous body. There are differing colours, languages, ethnicities, cultures, etc. We can learn much from each other – and we can assist each other.
Yet, as a society, we tend to find it much more difficult to be accepting and loving towards those who are different. We like those who are like us – much to our detriment.
Jesus challenged people in His day on this issue. Whether it was the Samaritans, Gentiles, or one’s neighbour, He talked of loving them. But not only loving them as best as we can; He went further.
To have true heart transformation, no matter what our background, He revealed our need to turn to God, through Him. For Jesus, it wasn’t about colour, language or sex; it was and is about eternal life and death.
We can’t change our heart; but as we are willing, Jesus can.