Hello Family,

I hope you're doing well. This last week has been challenging as we have witnessed great pain, suffering and violence in our nation. It's been emotional to say the least. I personally have had a hard time expressing my feelings regarding everything that has taken place. 

To say that I'm sorry doesn't seem like enough. To say that I want to learn is true and yet there are actions that need to be taken as well. To say that watching the news and seeing what is happening hurts is also true, but it pales in comparison to the pain and fear experienced daily by those with darker skin than mine.

My words seem inadequate.

When we read the creation account in Genesis, we see that God makes all of creation and it is good and beautiful. In particular the creation of humankind is very good. God in His creative genius, with all the colors of the rainbow at His disposal, masterfully, and uniquely breathes life into man and woman. He creates them in His image.  It is by His sovereign design that we as humans look the way we do.

To choose not to see color as many suggest is to ignore the beauty of God's creation. What we must refuse to do however, is use the color of a person's skin as a reason to degrade, harm, look down upon or take away a person's humanity. It is by God's perfect design that we are colored the way we are and it is beautiful. We must fight against the sin of racism.

The following is a poem I wrote a few nights ago in an attempt to process God's beautiful creation and the ways in which sin has corrupted our relationships with one another. I hope these words challenge you, as they challenge me, to live a life that values all of humanity, and causes you to consider how you might see the Imago Dei (image of God) in each person you meet, no matter the color of their skin.