Effecting Change: One Life at a Time

It’s overwhelming, almost unbearable.  Since March our country (and the world in some ways) has been in the throws of one crisis or another.  First, the #Corona Virus, shutdowns, the myriad of consequences from the shutdown, residual fear and uncertainty of a virus resurgence, and now, violence by and against the #police leading to protests, many of which have become life-threatening riots.  Daily, the news has new coverage of economic devastation and endless violence popping up in city after city.  In today’s world when we are confronted with a plethora of problems every day on the news, social media, we can easily throw our hands up.  It is tempting to say, “Seriously, what does God want me to do right now?”  I am not directly involved with any of these issues, but they are weighty, paralyzing really.  It is easy for anyone to become completely ineffective, unsure of what step to take.  When can we get back to our normal lives, the lives we know how to live? 

For the past few years, my freshman English students have written a paper on the NFL kneeling during the national anthem.  While the debate changes slightly every year, the topic has not lost it’s importance.  For this essay, they read several different articles and watch a debate on ESPN.  In the ESPN debate, a few former NFL players debate with the host. In the debate, Ray Lewis a former NFL player, pastor and community activist tells Shannon Sharpe that Kaepernick should combat police brutality by becoming involved in the affected communities.  He says, “You must have a solution.  Because if you don’t have a solution, you’re just protesting for nothing . . .  to effect change . . . if you ain’t seen as a true activist, to go into these cities and do these things on a daily basis . . . “ (Skip and Shannon: Undisputed),  He suggests that kneeling in front of the nation on tv is not nearly as effective as his involvement with inner-city youth likely to be affected by police brutality because of where they live and how they’ve had to grow up. 

For many of us reading this, the idea of getting involved in the inner-city of these affected cities is not in our wheel-house.  Our lives are in smaller unaffected towns or suburbs.  We are not involved with those communities nor do we know how to be.  So, what is our place in all of this?

The first thing we all need to do is pray.  Ephesians 6:18 commands us to “(Pray) at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints”,, so whether we are staying at home in fear of violence or living our calm suburbian lives, we are obligated to pray.  We need to pray for our leaders and our brothers and sisters.  Minority pastors as well as pastors and churches in large cities need to be the first on our prayer list.  They have an opportunity to share the unique message of Christ’s forgiveness and unity of the body in a time of great division. 

After praying for these churches closely involved with these police brutality and riots, we need to pray for ourselves.  Now, don’t get me wrong, we all want to pray for all of this to just end.  And this prayer for peace is not wrong, per say, as people are being victimized, hurt and even killed, but as the quote says, “Be a part of the solution, not the problem”. We ALL need to pray for a small opportunity to make a difference where we live and work every day. This will obviously look very different for each individual, but God definitely has something we each can do.  While many of us don’t live in a large city, we do live among people who are disenfranchised, who feel like a victim that the cards are stacked against them.  As James tells us, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this:  to visit orphan and widows in their affliction . . . “  (James 1:27).  In addition, we are to” learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17) as well as, “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute” (Psalm 82:3).  Whatever our place, we as Christians are called to care for those lacking position, support, and resources.

Having been in public education for 22 years, I have witnessed many different attempts to help underprivileged youth.  There are many different organizations attempting to do this, but if there is one effective method I have seen it would be mentoring.  Plenty of programs give out free food, clothing, etc . . . but low-key one-on-one mentoring can make such a difference to a child who lacks the parental support they need to stay out of trouble and find stability and success in life, a way to break the cycle of poverty, abuse, substance abuse, the victim mentality, etc. . . . Now, you may say, “I don’t have access to any of these people in my current situation.”  For a few of us, that may be true, but the path to serving those in need is easier than we think.  Below are a just a few ideas:

1.  Get involved in your local public school.  My children’s attendance in a public school gives us so many opportunities to serve children of different races, religions, family structures and socio-economic backgrounds.  It is literally at our finger-tips. Mentoring your child’s friend can be as simple as inviting them over, including them in birthday parties,  taking them to VBS, etc. . . .  If you don’t have children, volunteer to read with children in your local school.  Schools are always looking for those who can work with young children who are likely to fall behind.  My husband did this for several years and built relationships with many children in our sons’ school.
2. Volunteer for programs like Big Brothers and Big Sisters or CASA.  Both of these, and many Christian counter-parts you may know of, allow for you to simply spend one-on-one time with an underprivileged youth.  This time does not need to include intense teaching, Bible study, etc. . . . These meetings can include ice cream, the park, a movie, and many simple activities.  For these children, being an example of a stable, respectable Christian person, especially over a period of years shows them not only that they are important but that there is a different path, a different way of living, and the love of God, whether directly stated or not.
3. Be a coach or team mom for a community sports team or your local public school.  Now, your child may be exceptionally talented in a sport and be involved in the most expensive program out there, but I am advocating for the cheapest most accessible sports team in your community, the one that costs $60 for the entire season.  Get to know the families and children.  Pray for them and form a relationship with them.  Those children with single parents or those in foster care often form strong  bonds with coaches, team moms, etc . . .

As we witness the pain many in our nation are facing, on all sides, we may be at a loss at what our part is in all of this.  Most of us will not be leading protests, anti-protesting, speaking publicly, campaigning for public office, but we can do something.  We are called to care, so as we pray for all of those involved, especially our brothers and sisters, may we begin to ask, “What would you have me do?”  We can all make a difference as a mentor, whether officially or casually.  In many cases, true change is made by investing in one life at a time.