Can We Not Cry Tomorrow?

So many people have said so many words. Some words are worthy to stand behind and others not so much. I am not here to debate but simply to pour out my words that I’ve been chewing. 

My husband and I sat and watched the beginning of a series called “1968” and for a moment my heart was heavy. I thought, “this was so long ago and yet the same issues.” I think, through years and years of blood sweat and tears, there have been advances and more and more people are “woke,” to civil injustice than before. But the fact of the matter is, there is still an enemy at large. Still an enemy to fight and battle every single day. Everyone’s battle looks different. And just when it seems we have an upper hand on it, that same enemy shows his face again and again. Not just in violence but in fear, sickness, anxiety, depression, division, and on and on. 

And you know what? The ONLY thing keeping that enemy from winning my battle is HOPE. The only thing that can truly and completely drive out the hate in people’s hearts and the sickness that runs rampant is the HOPE in love.  Hope is everywhere and in everything. We just have to look for it. Some feel there is none and that justice and the life of others needs to be controlled and handled by them. And that my friends is fear mongering. It has no place here. If we let fear decide justice, pretty soon all we have is a society of robots. No creativity, no beauty, no love. Just an atmosphere of control. I for one cannot live in that state, and know for a fact that won’t be my forever home. My forever home is clothed in creativity and unique wonder beyond my comprehension.

We as parents have to talk about the hard things with our kids and at the same time show them the evidence that hope WINS. Our youth are looking to us to see how we respond. We as brothers and sisters IN LOVE need to show our children how to respond to hate and we can only do that with love.

I explained to my children, through my tears, and over many days, the incidents that have happened recently. How they happened in my youth and are still continuing today. 

As we laid to bed for the night, my little guy said, “mommy, can we not cry tomorrow?” He knew how much my heart ached and he thought of those of our friends experiencing pain and grief. I get the privilege of saying to him “I hope so.” Some of my friends are not in the same boat as me. And anyone who knows me, knows that it’s a lie if I say “I won’t cry tomorrow” because there is a good chance I will. My tears are not shed out of pity or “woe is me” or to persuade you to feel the same. Sometimes they are the release of the grief and the fear that the Father feels. And other times they are the release of laughter and joy. I am ready for those tears. 

I have mentioned before that the pain I feel in my heart when I see others hurt is so unbearable  but is only a fraction of what our God feels. And he is hurting something fierce. My God is just and he is the one I look to for my standards, for my values, and for my friends. We need to come alongside those hurting and love them completely and utterly. Words cannot be unheard, but hearts can be transformed. YOU have every opportunity and ability to look deep in your heart and see if it aligns with the Lord’s. And if it has even one speck of unforgiveness or hatred then you need to check your heart. 

My friends of color, I stand with you. I will run with you (slowly, but all the same), I will dance with you, I will go to the grocery with you, I will wrap my arms around you and your beautiful children and call you friend. You are my friend and I see hope in you. And thus you shall be treated as such; a friend, just as before. And for those of you who are unable to see the hope, just turn your eyes upon Jesus. Jesus would want us to pray but he would also want us to lay down our life for our friends. 

My house is a safe space for all people. My house growing up was the same. But I still have a lot of learning to do. I plan to learn more. I plan to read more books not written by people that look like me. I plan to watch more shows about people who don't look like me. I plan to get to know my friends better. I plan to continue to read to my children the books about hard topics so they are not so hard. We need to do better for our family, our brothers and sister in Christ of all kinds of faces. And we need to do better with those who do not call themselves brothers and sister in Christ.

Be sensitive in listening: you do not know everyone’s story unless you’ve sat and listened. And in listening, maybe don't give your opinion. Everyone comes with a certain amount of hurt - but how awesome when we get to hear about the redemption or even see it for our own eyes. Open your ears and listen to those hurting. Open your hearts and find the HOPE and DO something with it. Don’t let it fizzle. DO something with that fire of HOPE and ignite someone else with that contagiousness that only God can give. 

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If you need resources, I have asked my friends and researched and I would be happy to point you in a good direction...and I can tell you, the info it won't be info from my mouth.