First, let me say that I am a Christian. What I’m saying here is spoken from a Christian perspective and, for the most part, to other Christians. That said…

Keep your goals in mind. Make sure your goals aren’t impossible to achieve. Is it justice for the brutal death of George Floyd and others? That’s an attainable and noble goal. If it’s seeking a fairer and less intrusive manner for governments to govern or the way the agents of that government treat any specific people group based on race, creed, religion, nationality, sexuality, or other ways that are unconstitutional, press on. I’m with you.

If you’re looking to completely eradicate racism from society, certainly something most reasonable people wholeheartedly wish would happen, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. Racism, disliking or hating someone because of their skin color, is a sin. Humanity is sinful. We may not all be racist but we are all sinful. Every one of us. Ultimately, we are unable to liberate ourselves from sin. That’s why Jesus was born, lived, and gave His life on the cross. To liberate us from sin. Until the day He returns or until we die and meet Him face to face, we will be subject to the consequences of sin. Among those sins is racism. We can, and should, work hard to minimize it and its effects in society. We should love our fellow man and strive to be just and fair in all of our dealings with each other, no matter our station in life. We shouldn’t expect, though, that racism will up and disappear if we simply work hard enough or make enough statements against it on social media or go to church more or even if we make it illegal, a crime punishable by law.

There will always be a segment of humanity that hates. They’ll hate people of other races or a different religion or nationality or just about anything you can think of. Christians of any stripe ought to first identify as followers of Christ and connect and create community based on that common belief. All else is secondary. That doesn’t mean that all else is unimportant, it just means that we are called to imitate Jesus and love Him and follow His example and teachings first and foremost.

It may be a pipe dream but I believe it’s scriptural and, therefore, worth saying. We should all work hard to positively impact those in our sphere of influence but understand that only the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the saving power of the blood of Christ that God provided as a sacrifice for the sin of all of humanity can truly change the heart of man.

Keep working. Stay the course. Don’t forget to tell people about what Jesus did for them and one day, after this life is over, those who know, love, serve, and follow Him will be freed from the bondage of sin.

Until then, LGLP. (Love God, love people)