I chose silence with regard to the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery.  Until now.  Because now there is Breonna Taylor.  And now there is George Floyd.  And now it seems we are on fire.  All of this breaks my heart, but I did not see that I could possibly add to what news outlets and those with bigger platforms had already said.  As a middle-aged, middle class white woman, does what I say about it even matter?  Do my thoughts have merit?  I still can’t really answer those questions.  But the more I think about Ahmaud and so many others, the deeper my desire to share a couple of things.

First, I offer a brief summary of Ahmaud’s tragedy as I understand it.  On February 23 of this year  Arbery, a 25 year old black man went for a neighborhood run.  A caucasian former police officer and his son chased him down in their vehicle with a shotgun and a handgun because they believed he resembled someone who appeared on surveillance video committing local burglaries.  A third white man followed in his own vehicle and recorded the ensuing confrontation with his cell phone.  What exactly was said and done when these men came face to face we may never know.   Parts of the video are unclear.  However, that Travis McMichael (the younger of the father/son duo) shot and killed an unarmed Arbery at point blank range, is crystal clear.

This event, and the fact that the police made no arrests until the video went viral (weeks later), created a storm of media attention.  Once again issues of systemic racism and justice took center stage.  In recent years, similar news stories, church shootings, police profiling, riots and protesting have been a catalyst for me to make some changes.  I took a look at the books I read and movies I watched – realizing that I tend to choose entertainment that looks like me.

I am most comfortable with white and middle class.  It’s not pretty, but it’s true.  For the last two or three years (like I said, better late than never), I have made mindful efforts to read authors of different races and nationalities and see movies that speak to viewpoints different from my own.  I forced myself to examine my privilege and any biases and prejudices with which I view the world.  I don’t pretend to be “woke” to the things I’ve been blind to, but I am determined to keep working on it.  In light of recent events, I see my meager efforts are only a drop in a way-too-big bucket.

I claim no expertise here.  I have a long way to go and I’m sure I miss the mark a lot.  But here’s what I know for sure.  I can’t pretend that something (like racial bias) doesn’t exist just because it makes me uncomfortable.  It is only my privilege that allowed me to deny it for as long as I did.   I can’t believe these things are inconsequential because I haven’t personally seen them.  It is only my privilege that has kept them from view.

This week I had an eye opening conversation with two co-workers.  I posted about it on Instagram and Facebook.  I learned things about my friends that I didn’t know.  I read this blog post by a black sister in Christ.  I listened to the cry of my sister’s heart.  She is white, but her children are not.  I checked out Black or White and The Best of Enemies – both movies about race relations – from the library to watch with my family.   These are all small things, but they are broadening my perspective and increasing my empathy.  Don’t hear me say I can understand.  I never will completely.  But I will keep looking for ways to see more clearly.

Here’s what I know.  All life has value.  Some news stories brought Ahmaud Arbery’s character into question.  I read that he had a marijuana habit, that he was a thief, that he couldn’t hold down a job and that he’d had run-in’s with the law.  To all of that I say, “who cares”.  I don’t know what, if any of it, is true.  But what if he was the very person who was burglarizing that neighborhood?  It would not justify anyone taking the law into their own hands.  It definitely doesn’t mean he deserved death.  Genesis 1:27 says God created mankind in His own image.  The Bible lists no exceptions to this.  Black lives matter.

Let’s pray.  For an end to senseless violence.  For a stop to injustice in all its forms.  For us to be able to see and celebrate our differences with appreciation and not discrimination.  Let’s pray for us to do better.  For us to be better.  Let’s pray for a better world for my nieces and my grandson.  God help us all.

And now for this week’s featured post!

Amy Jung of wastelandtograceland.com ministered to me this week with What Leads Me to Pursue the Things I’m Pursuing?  She captured the age old question, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” in a way that made so much sense to me.  It’s almost measurable if we ask instead, “Am I doing what matters most?”  Since we are flawed we will undoubtedly still make mistakes, but if we are walking with Him and praying for Him to show us what matters most in each individual situation, we can relax a little more about the big picture.  And Amy reminds us that there is grace upon grace for the times we get it wrong.  Be encouraged by reading the post here.

Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

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Heather Hart & Valerie Riese

Maree Dee

Lauren Sparks

Lisa Burgess

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