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Many
years ago when I was young, single and wishing I could be
married and surrounded by a passel of kids, the Lord spoke
to me through the words of Isaiah: "Sing, O barren one who
did not bear; burst into song and shout, you who have not
been in labor! For the children of the desolate woman will
be more than the children of her that is married, says the
LORD. Enlarge the site of your tent, and let the curtains
of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back;
lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes" (54:1-2).
Little
did I know that the Lord would fulfill that promise one
day by making me part of an inter-racial family. Our children
came to us from Korea, and their adoption enlarged our tent
to halfway around the world. As we learned about the culture
of their homeland, we found our own heritage enriched and
intermingled with theirs. We met new people from another
culture who became part of our extended family. Rice became
a staple in our diet. The sights, sounds and smells of Korea
have filled our home and become part of our lifestyle.
Actually,
as an army brat, I grew up in a pretty large tent. I'd attended
twelve schools on three continents by the time I graduated
from high school. That meant I was usually the outsider
in the school peer group. My heart naturally identified
with the newcomers, the picked-upon and anybody else who
was different-which was probably why I became a nurse.
When
I began looking for nursing schools, I had a romantic idea
that going to a school in my parents' home state of Virginia
would give me a sense of roots. However, I was not prepared
for the 1960s' Southern racism I found there. Two schools
of nursing existed at this college-one black and one white.
Three of the four hospitals were white; the fourth was black.
The restrooms were labeled men, women and colored. I couldn't
figure out what skin color had to do with eliminating sexual
identity. When I brought an African-American friend to church,
an elder told me that she wasn't welcome-and quoted Scripture
to justify his position. I got called into the dean's office
repeatedly for "dating Negroes." It never occurred to me
that I shouldn't bring my friends home with me to visit
in the dorm lounges.
Determined
to enlarge the tent of my school and community, I joined
several civil rights organizations-only to find later that
I couldn't get a car loan because my affiliations made me
a bad credit risk! The evangelical community did not support
my liberal activities. Some even questioned my salvation.
However, by my senior year the Civil Rights Act was passed,
and things began to change for the better.
The
minor discrimination that I experienced because of my association
with others left me angry. By the time I graduated, I just
wanted to get away from the South as soon as possible. However,
people of other races cannot ever escape from the constant
burden of discrimination. Although the blatant prejudice
of the pre-Civil Rights Act South shouted discrimination,
the problem pervades our society. The Ku Klux Klan puts
hate literature under windshields in the shopping center
parking lot near my home in Pennsylvania. They claim to
be Christian, quote the Bible and burn crosses on the lawns
of inter-racial families.
The
Bible does not teach racial hatred, or even separation.
God told the Jews not to marry Gentiles because he wanted
to keep them from adopting Gentile idols, not because of
their race. Instead, the Bible tells us, "There is no longer
Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is
no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ
Jesus" (Gal 3:28). God made us a fascinatingly diverse people.
We were all created to glorify him and serve him together.
Our differences complement one another. Romans 12 and 1
Corinthians 12 both go into great detail about the importance
of honoring differences.
What
can we learn from one another? For starters, I'm fascinated
with the African- American office of church nurse. Every
time I ask my black brothers and sisters about the role,
they tell me, "Well, they aren't real nurses; they just
catch people when they fall." I suspect that they may be
closer to real nurses than those with a string of academic
degrees who would not stoop to empty a bedpan or clean a
soiled bottom.
We can
also learn new forms of worship from one another. Our church
recently bought new hymnals for the choir. Produced by our
denomination, they are African-American. The congregation
has appreciated the brighter tempo in the music, but learning
one anthem gave us a great deal of trouble. We sounded like
the bunch of staid German-Americans that we are, unable
to catch the beat. Suddenly I realized that an African-
American friend would be visiting the Sunday we were scheduled
to sing that song, and I asked if she could join us. She
agreed to sing with the choir and gave us the gift of soul.
The whole choir caught the beat, and we sounded good!
The
solution to our separation is not homogeneity or trying
to become like one another. Instead, diversity gives us
cause for joy and celebration. We are one in Christ, but
many in colors, cultures and gifts. The nomadic tents in
biblical days were places to shelter a family, as well as
centers of hospitality. Let's listen once again to Isaiah:
"Let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your
stakes." As we welcome others who are different from us
into the center of our tents, let's celebrate our differences
as well as our unity in Christ.-JAS
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