“Begin where you are.” C.S. Lewis

I was not alive when people were shipped like cargo into the United States and forced into slavery. I was not alive when segregation, the false idea of separate but equal, was announced and lived out. I was not alive when Brown vs. Board of Education played out in court. I was not alive when Martin Luther King, Jr. marched the streets and Rosa Parks sat down in the front of a bus. I was not alive when the Civil Rights, Voting or Housing Acts were established, but I am alive now.

Today is where we can begin to change. Our eyes are wide open and we are now hearing the cries of hurting people. Why didn’t we hear them before? Perhaps we were too separated, comfortable or overwhelmed with what was right in front of us. Maybe we did not know what to do or where to start. Now none of us can deny that something must be done.

Just the other night one of our girls was hurting. Her and I sat down on the steps and talked. She told me what had hurt her and then unraveled her heart from there. I listened. After many tears were shed, I asked some questions. I also apologized for the part I played in hurting her heart. Then we found some level ground and finished out the day together.

What if we invited each other into our homes and sat down on the steps and listened? What if we asked questions and apologized if needed? What if we found the level ground, we are all made in the image of God, and finish out our days equal together? Our home is open and we would love to visit. I’ll make dinner and you can bring dessert. What day works for you?