What are the options for the future of our Nation?
Preparing for a big move is a major shift from the norm of daily life to preparation for the future. Actually this is not news. Covid 19 put the brakes on normalcy and put into question what the future would look like.
Then came the outbreak of the massive response to the tragic death of George Floyd. Within a couple of days, the future of America seemed bleak. Was this the nation we left when we stepped into our private isolation chambers? If so, many have become hesitant to step back into it.
However now I fear there is a segment of the Black community that may suffer in a way that was unexpected, overlooked, and undeserved. Let me explain.
We were told we needed to buy a new refrigerator to make our house more saleable, so we did. Yesterday two Black men delivered it to our house. I greeted them as I walked toward the two-yard imaginary marker and began a conversation. I am known for my conversations with anyone, so this was nothing new. But this was different. I cannot count how many deliveries I have had to my renovation projects over the years, including many appliances that required two men to carry–many of them were Black men.
But these two men acted differently than any others and I have begun to understand why.
As they did their job I remarked how well they worked together and carefully. They made a difficult job look simple–still, no response other than a reserved thank you.
When they finished I thanked the younger man as the older one packed up. I gave him a tip and as we walked I asked him if I could share my thoughts. He looked toward me but not at me, so I continued to sell him about how sorry I am for what is going on in America and how it must be affecting him. I also said,
“I want you to know that this is not me. It’s not my wife or family or the friends I have.” He was listening so I continued.
“I know you don’t want to hear me say that I’m not a racist, but I am not. I grew up with Black friends and I still have Black friends, in fact, several from Africa. They stay in our home, we stay in theirs. He stopped walking and looked me in the eye and said,
“ I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
I wanted to insure him that I was sincere. I told him that I see him and his partner as capable men and we are equals before God. I started to tell him of the work we are doing with African friends in their nations and he stopped me again and said,
“I can’t tell me how much this means to me.”
“I can imagine”, I told him.
“ I am Jewish. I am also a believer in Jesus. I get it from both ends in certain environments.”
He nodded, knowingly.
This time he seemed almost tearful. Just before he got in the truck, he repeated his gratitude once more. This time he looked me in the eyes for the first time and added,
“We are going to have a good lunch on our way home!”
I wish I could say that it ended happily ever after. But it’s not over, far from it.
As their truck pulled out of my driveway, I began to realize what their fear and suspicion was when they first arrived.
If we consider that this newly promoted national mindset that says, “the Black community needs every White American’s apology, followed by supporting organizations, which will promote special privileges for them” is going to solve our problem, we need to think again.
These two men and millions like them know that the hornets’ nest has been stirred. Even though the protests were well-intentioned from both the Black and White youth, the solutions for our future that have been proposed are wrong.
There are a vast number of people in the Black population who are not looking for privilege, but opportunity as equals. That will not come from social engineering. We have tried that for decades. It was a failed experiment and brought us to this current crisis.
Is racism a problem in America? Absolutely.
Twenty-one years ago we pulled into our driveway for the first time as residents.
Not long after I met a roofer at our home for an estimate on our barn. We chatted for a while and then out of nowhere, he asked me if we have the same problem up North as they did with their n—s.
I looked at his chiseled face and told him I have no problem with the Black people and have close friends who are Black. I told him eye to eye that I no longer want his estimate, not knowing if he would one day retaliate.
Without details, I have also experienced extreme Jewish hatred in this area.
For all these years, I have never hidden my ethnicity and I have gained more Black friends. Of course, I was bothered by what others may think in our new neighborhood, but I did not fear what people would think. In fact, over the past two decades, I have met some of the most loving and generous people here that I ever met.
America has developed a heart problem. When the heart is affected, so is every member. Not all members are the cause of the problem. The underlying problem of racism is hatred. It surfaces easily against Blacks and Jews–it has for centuries.
Each member of the human race needs a heart transplant. If you don’t think so, you are deceived and will remain a part of the problem, not the solution.
Jesus is the solution to the sickness of the human heart. He alone can remove a faulty heart and transplant a heart that loves others as it loves itself. The heart of Jesus always beats for others. That is the essence of true faith—a new heart and a new mind.
I am not talking about Christianity as a religion.
I am talking about a new way of living in relationship with the living God. Multitudes from all races, all over the world could say a resounding “Yes” because this personal experience is universal.
The first step to normal human life and a healthy society is to walk with the One who made you and gave His life for you. Hatred for people has no room in His heart.
Hatred for injustice does.
The Black community has become a target for the racists who have been looking for an outlet. These two men know that, just as I do. When the smoke clears from the Covid and the rioting cease, people are going to want to know who started this chaos in the first place? Who is to blame?
The repeated reply through the centuries has been the notorious scapegoat—the Jews.
If you truly want to help solve racial injustice and encourage a people long mistreated, this is the first step. It requires humility to even recognize the hatred in your own heart for anyone and any people group. If you are willing to humble yourself, there is no further cost–Jesus already paid it upfront—for your future and the future of this Nation.
When I first considered the purchase of a refrigerator, I was not happy, but now I thank God for sending these two men and the lesson learned. It was worth the cost of tuition.
There are no other suitable options.
