We the people

There's been a lot of hooplah over the Black Lives Matter movement. There are people who support it whole-heartedly. There are people who get it. There are people who think black people should focus more on "black on black" crime than police brutality. And then, there are extremists who go so far as to say it's a terrorist group!

Here's the truth, unless you are a genocide loving racist, black lives MOST DEFINITELY matter. And to say that we matter means just that...WE matter! If the victim is constant, what doesn't matter are the variables of who is at the hand of injustice, oppression, disrespect, or murder!

Since our capture and enslavement, the message in America has been clear. Black people have had a history of degradation, division, discrimination, and even death. At the core has been a far too common ideology: Blacks are not actually people. See, we were originally seen as property, objects for sale or trade. As we all know, it's impossible to hurt an object. Objects feel no pain. They are things, and things don't have feelings or hearts. They are expendable and can be replaced. For far too many Americans, that mindset hasn't gone away.

Well here's the fact: WE ARE PEOPLE. Black men, women, and children are people. People have hearts that beat and break, feelings that are suppressed or displayed. They experience tragedy, trauma, and triumph. They love, they live, they unify for the greater good. Objects don't do that. Objects don't matter, but people...people matter. 

Now, you're probably wondering what any of this has to do with faith. I'm getting there. Bear with me. Often, the Bible and the Christian faith have been used to carry out this message of superiority and oppression. The very people who stand firmly against the Black Lives Matter collective claim to be a part of the faith; they say they believe in God. They tout their allegiance to living godly with little regard for the loss of godly lives. To be a part of the body in the Lord has much deeper meaning than what you read in your quiet time and how you spend your Sunday mornings. It has a lot more to do with understanding part of being God's people means persecution. Part of being God's people means not being understood. Part of being a part of God's family means that people will try to tear us apart...by any means necessary. 

As a black woman, black lives matter to me. Does that mean that white or brown lives don't matter? No. To say that Christians have religious freedom and deserve to not be held captive in nations with other dominant religions doesn't take away that same right for Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. If you are of God, you know that the lives of people who have stood under attack have always mattered. The Israelites' lives mattered. The disciples' lives mattered. Our savior's life mattered. All of these people faced real adversity that often led to death. However, they had to stand united under the belief that God is real and people deserve a chance to know Him. Just like we have to stand united that regardless of the adversity we face and who is responsible for it, we are a proud people who deserve to have our lives taken into consideration in this country. That is why Black Lives Matter is more than a movement. It is the fruition of the things we've been told; it is the substance of things hoped for; it is a symbol of faith...faith that one day, our lives will be viewed with the same regard as white ones. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be seen, to be heard, to be valued. Anyone who takes issue with that is less than godly...and the Word warns us to beware of wolves dressed as sheep. Be Blessed. XOXO