Mission, strength, and hope…it’s what we are activating when our family studies black history.
Looked upon with disdain With our thoughts and actions our neighbor is slain Offer hope and help others up We can share our portion, let's pour from our cup Cover shame Rebuke hate Lift up others We owe others love, we love because He first loved us With our words we can repay With our words we can free With our words we can enslave It's not about behavior modification It's about grace activation Bible says "The tongue has the power of life and death..." We can be about others health Let's choose today to offer hope Let's walk our our mission in God's strength --Sudea Romo, 2/11/21
Studying black history is a great opportunity. The opportunity of celebration of all races and ethnicities by the intentional effort to look at the black community that shapes American history today.
Studying black history helps to look back at how blacks were treated specifically in the United States over the last couple of hundred of years. Black History helps us to address hurts and process hang ups and move into hope.
Studying black history says all races are important enough to talk about specifically what happened to those of the black community…not to shame one race but to say, “this is what the black community faced…”
Call it mission, strength and hope!
Ponder with me as I ask and research…
How did Africans get to the United States?
How were the lives of African American folks from two or three generations?
What were the struggles that blacks faced when they were slaves and when they were “free.”
Who created laws to separate colored and whites?
Why was separation desired? Who championed the hate? What efforts were made? How much time did it take the hate to spread? Was is someone wealthy and afraid (who championed the hate)? What was their family like? What were their grandparents like?
What is the belief behind white power?
Why is the response black power?
We must begin to ask necessary questions that we may move towards redemption and reconciliation…Let’s begin looking at some history: https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws
We today condemn ANY segregation and oppression…
Today, as we celebrate Black History Month we look at what were the laws. As I speak to my five children, we talk openly and ask the question,
“Should we hate anyone?” No…
“Should we treat them differently because of their skin color?” No…
When we study black history, we don’t say all whites are bad but anyone who is willing to hate others and especially hate because of the color of someone’s skin then “shame!” The Bible talks about sin and sin hits all people of all tribes and nations and languages; no one is exempt from the fallen nature.
Our family creed is adopted from the Biblical creed “to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love others as ourselves.”
We begin to study and discuss, so we can be beacons of light and we can be loving and kind and call others into a life of abundance.
Let’s pray: God, Creator of all the earth and creatures great and small, we praise you that you are a good and loving God. You are a creative God and it is reflected in the many colors of people and the tribes and tongues (languages). We thank you for those who have advocated and influenced others for change. Thank you for those who advocated to help and love the poor and needy. Today, we ask that you’d be with families who have faced trauma. We pray for healing of the hatred and the hurt families have felt over the generations. For the believing families, Lord, we pray that black believers would continue to walk in love and show the love of Christ because the gospel has the power to save all people! May many come to know Jesus in our nation and in our world. For many churches through the world, let us rise up and to meet the needs of the broken and the poor. Teach us, Lord, how to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Abundant Mommyhood 