| In the last post, I shared the story about my 5-year-old son’s unashamed willingness to don pink floaters in order to go swimming in Lake Michigan with his siblings and cousins and how his indifference to color got me thinking. Today I am thinking about the phrase “color-blind” in an entirely different way. Here’s the scoop: Earlier this year I was blessed to be sitting in a good friend’s office swapping stories of hardships that we had faced in recent days. It is always edifying when we spend time together and encouraging to us both. Before I go on, let me tell you a little bit about my friend. This man has a wealth of spiritual wisdom and ministry experience. He has ministered both in the local church as well as done ground-breaking outreach through parachurch ministry. He’s a coach in the community. He’s a confidant for many leaders. He is a chaplain to university students, staff and faculty. He has earned an advanced degree. He’s ordained. He is a visionary leader. He is a powerful preacher of God’s Word. He has been a man charged with the spiritual care and formation of thousands of college students over the past decade. I am blessed that this man is a friend in my life of the iron-sharpening type (Proverbs 27:17). As we spent time together sharing our hearts, I became burdened as I learned about challenges he has faced as a minister. In spite of his education, his ministry experience, his exceptional preaching, his integrity in family and personal matters, and the quality of the fruit that is being produced from his ministry, there are still those who don’t respect his voice as a spiritual shepherd. Why? You see, my friend is an African-American. And there are some who don’t fully trust his leadership because they can’t see past the racial differences between themselves and someone who is culturally Afro-centric. They can’t see past the color of his skin. What’s sad is that if a person were literally blind, they would not have this problem. They would trust this man of God as much as I do. It is difficult to put into words how shocking this is to me as this pastor’s friend and brother in the Lord. I’ve benefitted greatly through his ministry and been spurred on spiritually by his friendship. When I think of some of the things he has had to deal with, I can’t help but think of the phrase, color-blind. I’m using the idea of color-blind to indicate race, now. But I’m not using this phrase in the same way it was used in the 1980s and 1990s. The idea behind the phrase had good intentions. In the face of racism, which uses color to demean, disrespect, and demonize people, we will attempt to be blind to it. So the idea is simply “I don’t see color, I just see a person,” and that idea has merit. We should value every person equally as an image-bearer of God as indicated in Genesis 1:26 & 27. However, there is a significant limitation to this idea of color-blindness. When we attempt to be blind to the backgrounds and mindsets of those around us, we miss out on the opportunity to benefit from the uniqueness that those backgrounds and mindsets bring. To be color-blind in this way, under-appreciates the inherent value of individual ethnicities, races, and cultures and the blessing that comes from deep engagement across racial, cultural, and ethnic lines. While the goal of being color-blind was to prevent undervaluing a person because of their race, we end up undervaluing the significance of a person’s race, culture, upbringing, or ethnicity. The better option is not to be blind to race, but to recognize its significance to a person and to be open to the potential benefits this brings to a relationship. (I’d recommend reading the insightful book, “More Than Equals” By Perkins and Rice on this.) When I use the phrase color-blind today, it’s not that color doesn’t matter, but that color shouldn’t blind us to the value and beauty of people who are different than we are. The struggles and perspectives that people from different backgrounds face are real and they vary from race to race, from culture to culture, and even from person to person. These are important. But sometimes color blinds us from being able to see it. When I think about my friend, I know many people are blinded by color in that they can’t fully appreciate him because of his race. However, my view of him is not limited by his color. His color is an important part of who he is. I acknowledge and appreciate this reality. But, rather than stopping with his appearance I am drawn by it as well as his essence as a brother in the Lord and spiritual leader. And it compels me to delve deeper into friendship by asking questions such as, Who is my friend? What is his essence? How has his self-understanding been shaped by his ethnicity? How has his race shaped his understanding of the world? How has his life as a black man been different from mine as a white man? How has his race given him a unique perspective on following Jesus? How has Christ shaped his life, and how is the Spirit of God flowing through him and producing fruit through his ministry? These questions acknowledge the importance of my friend’s race, while also pursuing a deeper knowledge of him as a person. When we see people, do we simply look at the surface, or are we willing to consider that what is on the outside is an invitation that there is a lot more to someone that needs to be discovered and appreciated? I liken it to a recent trip to Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Were you to simply look at the surface of the cave, you would just see a hill with a hole in the ground where some cooler air escapes. It has a few signs indicating that this is the original entrance. But, if you follow the park rangers into the elevator, you descend into marvelous caverns below, which contain surprises you would never find anywhere else. There are interesting cracks and crevices coupled with amazing rock formations, that span for miles and miles under the ground. But you would never know that by standing looking at the surface. To stand at the mouth of the cave and simply say, “It’s a cave,” reveals a view that is far too limited. Race is something that is a very significant part of a person. But instead of valuing the different races of different people around us, and seeing it as an invitation to discover something new about others, ourselves, and our world, we take a quick look and conclude, “It’s a cave.” “They’re black.” “They’re white.” “They’re Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern…” Fill in the blank however you will, but the problem is that this ends the conversation. This should not be. From now on, when we hear the phrase color-blind, let it remind us to guard ourselves against being people who are blinded by color. Instead, we need to be willing to discover the beauty and majesty that lies beneath the surface. A Few Questions: Here are a few questions that may help as we pursue friendships with other people – especially those who are of different racial, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds: Who are they? What makes them tick? What makes them special? What unique perspectives do they bring? What areas of commonness bond us? What areas of difference might bless us? What areas of misunderstanding might hinder us and how shall we approach learning from one another that we might become better and more loving people? And an all-important question for followers of Jesus is, how has Christ united us? |
Categories: Random Reflections
