A life cut short

This morning I woke early thinking that I would write about some of the things, God is teaching me during lock-down, but then I read about the killing of Ahmaud Arbery. He was a healthy 26 year old black man just out for a run in our home state of Georgia. He was seen by some white men who suspected him of robbery, chased him down and eventually shot and killed him. Since Ahmaud tried to get the gun away from them, they claim self-defense, and have not even been arrested. I don’t want to start a debate about all the details of the many cases of black men being shot by white men in the United States of America. But right now I am angry and grieving that we still live in a world with so much racism. 

I hate that we live in a world where assumptions are made based on the difference in the color of our skin. My three year old Ugandan daughter notices the difference and asks why she is black and others in our family are white. Of course, we are all just different shades of brown, some lighter and some darker. But she has already picked up on the words people use about skin color being black and white. I pray that while acknowledging the differences in our skin color, we can also affirm the unity of all of God’s children from every tribe and nation. 

As I read this story about Ahmaud, I thought of the young man living with us who has a heart of gold. He loves Jesus and is always looking for a way to be helpful and serve others. He prays for his family and for the world. But some people would never know what an amazing young man he is because of the color of his skin. I am thankful that he lives with us here in Uganda and not in the US where I would fear for his safety. He likes to exercise and this could have been him out jogging. My heart is outraged and broken and angry. 

I wish that we lived in a world where people were “not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” (Martin Luther King Jr.) But this is still only “a dream.” All people are valuable because they bear the image of God.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” ‭‭(Genesis‬ ‭1:27‬)

During this global pandemic, I have also heard of racism against people who appear Chinese. One woman was chased out of the market here in Uganda with people calling her “Corona.” I know that most acts of racism are based in fear and ignorance, but that does not excuse treating anyone as less valuable simply because of their appearance.

It is my prayer that today I will treat all the people in my life with the love and respect they deserve as image bearers of the Creator of the universe. Since most of the world is not coming into contact with many outside their own homes right now, maybe this is a time to reflect and pray about how we can reach out to people of different races to live out the love of Jesus Christ.