Elections through different eyes

I just read my roommates blog and her belated post about elections and I was inspired to write a quick blog.

The night of the election I was actually having bible study with the high school girls in the neighborhood who are Black and Latina. It was a pretty intense night. I think the thing that really got me, though, was the reaction a couple of the black high school students had.

When Obama won we were waiting to hear his speech and one of the girls asks "Is this Live?" Our response was "Yes." and she had to ask again " Like live, live!" and so I kinda cracked a joke and was like "Yeah, if Obama trips on the stage we'll see it go down" And then another high school girl followed it with "If he's got wardrobe dysfunction, we'll see him lookin' jacked up!" and we were laughing when I turned and saw the other girl having a concerned look and talking to one of the other high school girls.

Then it clicked! She was worried about Obama getting shot.

My laughter was gone and it saddened me. I'm not sure that would have even crossed my mind if I weren't with them. This was a very real concern. I remembered a prior conversation we had when she said "If a Black person becomes President, he's gonna get shot...what's happened to every Black guy that got somewhere in society!" And I had to acknowledge her concern is actually real. There are still people that hate Blacks enough to shoot them for no good reason. I tried to reassure her by telling her they would have lots of security. And sure enough, later, I saw that there was a huge glass barrier on the stage. I guess they weren't the only ones worried.

After that, I was driving one of the girls home and she freaked out and was like "Oh, no! We forgot to pray for Obama's saftey!" So I was like "Well, we can pray for him now!" She said "No we can't, you can't drive with your eyes closed." I laughed and said "I don't have to pray with my eyes closed." She said "But God won't hear our prayers and it's better with lots of people!" So I explained to her that there was still three of us and He would hear our prayer. The other high school girl joined us and Cheraya led us in prayer for Obama's saftey.

I'm thankful to be in relationship with these girls and I have really appreciated the ways I've been invited into their perspectives and struggles as Blacks in America. It's no wonder Jesus values relationships so much. These are experiences that money cannot buy.

It reminds me of a song by Derek Webb especially the part that says "He says 'More than just your cash and coins, I want your time, Iwant your voice. I want the things you just can't give me."

There are two ways, generally speaking, to invest in the poor and the outcast. One is to give money. And the other is to be in relationship and be a part of their lives (I guess the third is to do both). I, personally, have found being a part of their lives to be very rewarding (although Jesus doesn't promise that -it's more about obediance.) And the story above is one of the many examples of it being rewarding.