a pondering pootle

This week I’ve been processing a lot of things – as I know many of us have. I’ve pondered long and hard about whether to share some of those thing here. I feel like there’s so much to express and words often don’t feel enough but I need to speak and let some of this stuff breathe. It’s been over two years since I wrote anything here and, having just read it back, I realise that my first ever post ‘Being Brave’ is just as true to me now as it was back then! So I’m choosing not to keep this all sitting in the notes section of my phone, never to see the light of day – like so many of the ponderings sitting in the backlog!

Here goes…

I see Colour as God’s design and a display his creativity. God made creation is all it’s glory a colourful masterpiece. To deny to see colour diminishes God’s divine creativity and the fact that he looked at His creation in all its glory and beauty and said “it is good”. So of course we should recognise colour in the beautiful diversity of the human race – a display of God’s workmanship.

In the Bible, Colossians 3, talks about our identity as followers of Jesus – hidden in Christ, we have put on a ‘new self’ which is “being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (v.10)  It goes on to say “here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (v.11)  I have heard people interpret this as God not ‘seeing’ difference or diversity – eg. difference in colour. Personally I don’t believe this is the right interpretation. For me this passage is about our identity in the kingdom of God, our identity in Christ – it’s about our value and our standing before God. It is not saying in the kingdom of God a person’s uniqueness and difference it lost. It is saying we are all equal and included. As the Message translation of the Bible puts it we are “…defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.”

We are all made in God’s image and we are all his children. With our identity secure through Jesus, we all have equal standing  – whatever our background, status, sex or race. However, part of being made in God’s image is that we are all created different. As a human race we reflect his creativity and this is a beautiful thing and most definitely something to be seen, in awe of and wowed by. Diversity is something to be celebrated, every person is their own unique reflection of God’s design; ethnicity, gifts, talents, passions and personality – as God himself said “IT IS GOOD”.

You only have to take a walk in nature to see the beauty of creation. I certainly don’t take a walk in a woodland full of different flowers and say “look at all these flowers that look the same aren’t they beautiful”. I admire the variation and beauty of each one. I also wouldn’t say “I don’t see that robin’s stunning red breast or that kingfisher’s stunning blue wings – I just see two birds that are the same” I admire each one for its uniqueness and beauty. So why on earth would I say that about human beings who are all the more amazing because they are God’s very own image bearers?! I’m not colourblind – I celebrate the beauty of colour in all of God’s creation.

In regard to the ‘either or’ question of the statements “all lives matter” -v- “black lives matter”.  In my opinion they are not mutually exclusive – I believe it’s a case of  ‘both and’.

By this I mean: Of course as Gods children, made in his image, all life is sacred & we are all made equal and every human being deserves to be treated accordingly. We all matter to God and we should all matter to each other. Oppression is wrong in all its forms and we must stand against it and be a voice for justice. All lives matter because all life is sacred and no life is more valuable than another. However for our black brothers and sisters this absolute truth has not been their lived experience. This is an injustice. They have lived, & sadly still do live, in a world where they have been denied that fundamental truth as an experienced reality in their lives. So, when we say “Black Lives Matter” we are making a statement that that we acknowledge this travesty and injustice and making a stand to say that their lives absolutely DO matter!

I am also at this point reminded of a great analogy I heard recently. If a parent of several children has one who is stung by a bee. The parent gathers around the one hurting and cares for that one, caring for him/her and giving them the treatment and attention they deserve. This of course does not mean the parent loves or cares for the other children less – but it would be ludicrous if the mum/dad was to say “well you all matter to me in equal measure so let me give you all the same focus and attention and care in this moment”. Our black brothers and sisters are hurting right now and I will stand with them and acknowledge their pain and fight against injustice because ‘black lives matter’.

Finally, my thoughts about social media…

Over several years now in our household conversations we’ve used this really helpful framework I discovered a while back. I believe it’s a useful concept to apply to the social media context of conversation too.

It’s been especially useful for us as a family during lockdown when we’ve found ourselves processing emotions together in a crowded, often noisy, environment.

I’d encourage you to THINK before you speak – post or comment – at this time. 

T – Is it true? Not just ‘true’ to you, but is it actually TRUTH.

H – Is it helpful?

I – Is it inspiring?

N – Is it necessary? Just because you have an opinion is it the right time or place to share it?

K – Is it KIND? The most important question of them all in my opinion.

Experience tells me that people are braver on social media and say stuff that they wouldn’t necessarily say to someone personally in the ‘real’ face to face world. It can be an amazing platform for good and provide a voice for those unheard but It’s also easy to post in a second, often emotionally driven, without considering our heart motive – what we are saying, why we are saying it, how are we saying it and even if it needs to be said at all. I’ve been guilty of this and I am trying to do better.

I am witnessing first hand as my husband Dave processes these painful realities we are faced with currently and truly it is heartbreaking. Please choose empathy, please choose to seek understanding, please be quick to listen and slow to speak. A persons story is their truth, don’t deny it, witness it and hear it – it takes courage and bravery to be vulnerable. Please choose kindness and love. I by no means have this sussed, far from it, but I am committed to learning.  These are just my own personal ponderings and I hope they might be helpful to others in some small way. 

When our hearts are broken over one issue of injustice it opens our eyes to the reality of all of the brokenness that surrounds us. There are so many issues of injustice in our world, injustice and oppression in all its forms are not ok. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed or become indifferent as a way of coping but we have a hope.

As we pray for Gods kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven we know that “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of [God’s] throne; love and faithfulness go before [Him].” Psalm 89:14

These are painful times, but as well as the pain, I am also witnessing first hand the beautiful healing that begins to happen when we engage in honest conversation. When we choose to ‘see’ others and let their voice be heard as they share their story. Amongst the pain I sense a stirring of hope being birthed that I believe is being breathed upon by the Holy Spirit.

I’ve recently been reminded of a Matt Redman song about revival we used to sing, in particular these lyrics below:

“We’re looking to your promise of old, That if we pray and humble ourselves, You will come and heal our land, You will come…Send revival, start with me”

It has to start there. I can honestly say holding a mirror up and taking a good look inside yourself is often not comfortable – but it is needed – it will also be life changing, healing and freeing, if we’ll choose to humble ourselves in the process.