Letters to the Church: Emotions and Racism Намуна

Dear Hurting One

In the pursuit of seeing God’s multi-ethnic kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, where there is belonging in diversity and unity abounds, there are some people who are hurting—their hurt pouring from their own pain but also the pain of others who look like them. Experiencing overt and covert racism and prejudice, yet knowing that they cannot change the colour of their skin, they learn to navigate their surroundings sometimes by minimising their differences to become more accepted. This is a letter to the hurting ones.

Dear hurting one,

You are proud of your culture and heritage but there are some who try to make you doubt its beauty. Growing up you were encouraged to compete harder because you will experience more resistance or cautioned that your interactions will be framed by the negative stereotypes connected to you. In certain situations, you feel the pressure of representing your whole people group, trying to break barriers whilst trying to be your authentic self. When you face rejection, you question whether your colour, caste or culture was part of the reason, and when you see that no-one looks like you in leadership positions, you wonder whether there could ever be space for you to rise. You have questioned your beauty as the shape of your eyes, the curl of your hair or the shade of your skin deviates from the celebrated standards. You overthink your words or actions; because your presence or response may be seen as more threatening. You change your name, the way you speak or put aside your cultural style to make others more comfortable around you. When you hear the stories of racism, you remember that it could have been you. As a parent or leader, the concerns for the safety of the younger generations flood your mind as you hope that they will not experience your same struggles and pains. You have been wounded by the sin of racism but to you I say this, God is a Good Shepherd.

Everyone wants to feel whole but racism, prejudice and xenophobia cause trauma leaving people in emotional, mental and psychological pain. In the vastness of the systemic nature of racism, God sees every situation and story and hears every hurt and heart cry. He is the Good Shepherd spoken about in Psalm 23 – the One who takes care of His sheep, comforting and tending to each person in their troubles. He helps us navigate the landscape of our pain; sitting, strengthening and leading us into healing.

God sits with us because He cares – we see Jesus sit with people, weep with people and respond to people because of His great compassion. Taking off His heavenly robes, He stepped into our earthly condition with the pain and suffering inherent in it – He knows the burden of sadness, grief and distress. Because He cares, we can share our hurts with Him – this means bringing our pain to Him in prayer. Sharing the hurt in our heart allows Him to carry the weight (1 Peter 5:7). When our hurt leaves us speechless, we can also weep before Him knowing that He listens to, and understands our wordless groans. God sits with us in our hurt, but He also moves us through it by comforting us and showing us how to respond.

God helps us to stand by comforting us – the Holy Spirit is the great Comforter who comforts us by bringing the truth to mind. When our pain distracts us from His promises, He helps us remember the word of God. In it we find the truths of His hate towards evil, His righteousness and His justice. As John 14:25 shows, a reminder from His word this gives us peace for our restless souls. Like a baby being held is soothed by the presence of a loved one, we too can find relief and reassurance in the scriptures. In the sureness of His words, we are given the strength, that carries us through the hurt as we rest in the knowledge of Him.

Strengthened by His word, God calls us to act in ways that will lead to our healing. The Fathers heart is to make us whole, in His love for us, He asks us to offer forgiveness those who have caused our hurt (Mark 11:25), to let go of offence and encourages us to pray for those who have wronged us (Matthew 5:44). As challenging as it may be, He seeks to use every hurt-filled experience and offers us the opportunity to become more like Him – exchanging our pain in pursuit of His glory. Healing unfolds through our obedience even when we don’t understand it. He is our very present help in the midst of our pain (Psalm 46:1), and when we turn to Him with hurting heart, we will experience His hands holding us, helping us and healing us.

Reflection Points

To the hurting ones:

• Reflect on how much God cares for you and others impacted by racism - mediate on His compassionate heart and caring nature
• Pray about how you are feeling, share your thoughts, emotions and experiences with God
• Find scriptures that bring you comfort to read and meditate on
• Consider speaking to pastoral or professional counsellor or friend who you can be open and honest with about the hurt you are experiencing

To the rest of the church:

• Consider the experiences of racism that you have heard and think about how you can show care and compassion to those who are hurting
• Reflect on whether your actions or ignorance could have hurt someone - ask for forgiveness
• Pray for those who are hurting from racial experiences and trauma