Trading Places

This past year I learned to love Jesus more by allowing him to expand my perspective on how I see things. I’ve been calling this adventure Expanded Theology. This passage in Luke has often caused me to ponder; how do you love the Lord with your mind? Do I dream up warm fuzzy thoughts of hugging Jesus sitting on the throne after throwing rose petals at his feet? Or is it something deeper than warm fuzzy thoughts?

The past year has not fallen short of offering events to observe and reflect upon; 2020–2021 if nothing else has been eventful. When the George Floyd incident occurred my journey from shock to anger left me feeling numb for days. As a black man this incident was another brick in the house of hopelessness that race relations would ever improve in this country. What gripped me more was the deafening silence of the white Christian church. Let me be more specific; the silence of my own white brothers in the faith whom I know love me and whom I know love Jesus. However, all but one reached out to say anything to me. 

But thanks be to God, what occurred to me in the middle of my own discrimination lawsuit against them in my head was maybe they did not actually know what to say. Maybe their own shock left them paralyzed with fear, misplaced guilt, and a loss for words. Being able to trade places with them and see the national unrest from their perspective gave me compassion for brothers who wanted to help but just didn’t know how. This led me to sharing a YouTube video on behalf of my organization, NAAMC; welcoming and encouraging white brothers and sisters to reach out their African American brothers and sisters and being okay with not knowing what to say in this moment. This revelation of trading places blessed me!

I love the worship song “Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord,” but its not just our hearts God desires to open; our minds need to be open to him as well. No wonder Paul prays that the eyes of our understanding would be enlighten. I learned to love Jesus more by losing my mind and accepting his – “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5, KJV).

Key Quotation

Being able to trade places with them and see the national unrest from their perspective gave me compassion for brothers who wanted to help but just didn’t know how.

Question

Are there people in your life that if you were to trade places with them you would see them more compassionately?

Pastor Adrian Reeves, National African American Missions Council