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Listening Well
By Katie Rives, Anti-Racism Committee Member, Candidate for Ministry

You may be familiar with the phrase, “We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak.”  (Certainly, no one has ever been called out for putting their proverbial foot in their ear, right?!?)  Admonitions to listen to God’s prophets and God’s voice are found throughout Scripture.  With so many voices clamoring for our attention, we are wise to be intentional regarding which ones we allow to hold space. 

I truly believe The Holy Spirit allowed me to “hear” an innocuous statement four years ago when a woman of color at seminary expressed that she had never seen dolls or toys in the store, nor on tv, of anyone who looked like her when she was growing up.  She was expressing how that shaped her identity and sense, or lack thereof, of her own beauty.  I was stunned!  I thought she was physically beautiful and for the first time in my life, it hit me how the culture I grew up in was tailor made for me.  I had not seen the color, or lack thereof, of the water in which I was swimming my whole life.  OUCH!

The last four years have been incredibly illuminating as I became aware, and continue to do so, of my own presuppositions, literal ignorance, bias, and uncomfortability with so much of our country’s history and present state of affairs.  I realized that I not only accepted the narrative propagated in mainstream media, but I also did not even think it should be questioned.  I subconsciously accepted the bubble in which I existed—assuming it was everyone else’s.  I was not experiencing racial discord personally, so what was all the fuss about?  Angry outbursts portrayed in the media, footage of people of color being violently handled by police forces—in local communities or in their own homes or at our borders, those refusing to honor our national anthem in the public forum, etc.  seemed to further confirm that others simply did not know how to “behave” and the necessity for societal norms and policing that would keep us safe.  How incredibly self-centered, narrow, and ignorant my mindset was.

Considering myself a lifelong Christian, I have tried to serve and do good unto others.  I truly believe that all people are made in God’s Image and worthy of respect.  I simply did not realize that the good in which I participated merely acted as Band-Aids.  It never occurred to me, nor did I ever hear a sermon nor encouragement, to discern the root issues as to why those bandages might be necessary.  No one in my circles was talking about infection so deep in the bones of this country that it would take a multi-pronged and prolonged effort to eradicate.  I was a “nice” person and absolutely clueless.  My ignorance not only self-served my own comfort, it served a larger purpose to preclude change.

The divisive rhetoric of ‘us v. them’ is pervasive in our culture and perpetuates insidious barriers that must be eradicated.  While I am no expert, I am absolutely convicted that the message of “otherness” that engenders fear and hatred is contrary to The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Loving God leads us to care about what God cares about.  Jesus’ witness to the marginalized and oppressed is surely relevant today, and the slightest foray into truth will reveal the legacy of oppression embedded in our legal system as well as within individual hearts. 

As a Christ follower and member of The Church, Christ’s Body, I believe Paul’s words that tell us when one part of the body suffers the entire body suffers.  Praying deeply that I would hear God’s voice regarding racial injustice in this country and the ever-widening circle of its influence, I have been led to legitimate, trustworthy sources about these issues.  Seeking and listening to voices other than those like my own is critical.  Pushing past my own ignorance and discomfort is paramount for growth.  God leads us into truth if we are willing to do the work.  Love transforms and I have hope that we can make a difference in this lifetime that will honor God and help heal our land.  May we listen well to the voices whose silent and not-so-silent screams have surely reached God’s ears and deserve our attention.
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