Praying for Change

Change is one force in the universe that you can absolutely be sure of.

Since the beginning of time change has been occurring. One thing we can all be sure of is that it will continue.

Sometimes change comes quickly, and other times it evolves over eons of time.

The Grand Canyon in the United States is a perfect example. It has taken millions of years for the Colorado River to carve its way through. Today, it is still digging a little deeper into the earth below.

Our lives and the world in general are also in a state of constant change. Laws that were enacted hundreds or even a dozen years ago are no longer relevant to the world today.

Attitudes change, beliefs change, social norms change, and fashions change.

In 1750 it was deemed normal and lawful to own a black person. Today this horrible practice is illegal.

Changing social norms and how we get along with each other is slow. Although we deem it illegal to own another black person, the practice of racism is still with us. This scourge has not yet been eliminated from the human experience.

After 400 years of treating the black man and woman like property, humans seem to just be waking up to how wrong this is.

There is a change underfoot in this world around the issue of systemic racism. There is more of an open discussion about the reality of this. I see many people openly admitting to the truth that was always there that black people are not treated the same as white people.

It is not new to hear it from black people that they are treated differently. They have been saying that for hundreds of years.

What is new is that we are finally starting to hear it from white people.

And, we are hearing it from white people who want to change this reality for black people.

This very public admission is powerful. I see it on the news every day. I hear it in the pleas of black people to be seen for the worthy sons and daughters of God that they are. I hear it in the admissions of white people who are apologizing for their role in the racism of this world.

I was raised in a racist society. We all were.

Even if you have never engaged in racist activities or said a racial slur, you still have been surrounded by a world that treats black people like they are less than.

What can we do to change this?

It starts with admitting the truth. The truth that blacks are not treated the way whites are.

This is a sad truth.

In the admitting comes the healing. If we can admit that we have been responsible for the mistreatment of the black man and woman, we can become responsible for healing this.

We are in a time of great change. The death of George Floyd woke us up again.

We have been woken up many times in the past, and unfortunately it may not be the last wake-up call we receive.

The wake-up call is not just for white people. It is a wake-up call for all those who wish to oppress anyone who is different than them.

It is a time when real change can come to this world.

I pray for the day when black people will be given the same rights that white people have been afforded. When that day comes God will smile. I can imagine God saying, “It’s about time.”

I believe the moment is coming when blacks will be seen for the beautiful children of God that they are. I pray that I can do my part to end racism in this world.

I pray that someday the history of racism will be exactly that.

History.

Change is coming.

I pray that change is here.