The Substance of Love
As the COVID-19 dust seemingly began to settle, a chilling and heartbreaking video surfaced of George Floyd being slowly strangled for eight minutes by the knee of an officer with his hands in pockets. He begged for the basic right to breathe. The words that he struggled to release that have now become symbolic and forever tattooed on our memory was a phrase that went completely ignored: “I can’t breathe.” As life was being forced out of this Christian father’s body, he even cried out for his deceased mother’s help. This was my breaking point.
I wept in front of my wife as I attempted to convey my fears, sorrow, and anger. The weight was just too much to carry, but it was a burden that I couldn’t lay down. The burden that I was feeling for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd was the burden of our experience as Black Americans. It’s an experience that is impossible to unpack in one post. It was the burden of our American Constitution originally stating that we were three-fifths human 1. Though this statement was amended on paper, we’ve continued to be dehumanized and live under the burden of systemic white supremacy 2. Even as I write this post, there have been other situations that mirror the three injustices that we saw just in the month of May.
The Breaking Point
The George Floyd murder in particular wasn’t simply my personal breaking point, but it was the breaking point of People of Color as well as non-black allies around the world. What began was a mix of peaceful public demonstrations, as well as rioting from the outraged and ignored around the world. While I do not personally condone rioting or looting, I understand that it is a fruit and not the root. This is a very important distinction. It’s a sign that points to the real issue: silence and inaction in systemic injustice.
It feels like every square inch of the Western world experienced the pain of George Floyd’s murder. For some, your heart broke because a human suffered such a tragic and dehumanizing fate. Some personally resonated with his murder because they’ve experienced similar injustice due to the color of their skin (like me). Some didn’t feel the pain until their personal lives were interrupted by peaceful protests or rioting, but the point is that we’ve all felt something in this time.
As a result of the rioting, looting, and non-peaceful demonstrations, some white and non-black brothers and sisters in the Faith have either consciously or unconsciously written off the pain, perspective, and reality of a systemic problem due to the ways some have chosen to respond in their pain and frustration. Other followers of Jesus have seen all of these responses (including social media posts, church services, peaceful protests, and even non-peaceful protests) as an outcry for help, yet they are unsure about what they can actually do to help.
The Challenge & The Answer
I have a challenge for our brothers and sisters in the Faith who may have written off the pain or reality of larger problems because some haven’t responded peacefully. I also have an answer for those looking to help or do something, and the challenge and the answer is one in the same. It is quite simple, yet incredibly difficult to live out. It’s love. I know, I know. You were expecting something different. But before you check out on me, allow me to clarify what I mean. I’m definitely not talking about a “fluffy” or “cuddly” kind of love. I’m not referring to an emotion that you feel that mirrors butterflies in your tummy. I’m talking about Biblical Love, the type of love that sustains for the long haul.
Philippians 1:9-10 gives us a relevant picture of love. It says, And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. What the Apostle Paul shows us is that Biblical love is filled with something. It actually carries substance, and that substance isn’t a feeling. That substance is knowledge and discernment (or insight in original Greek). It is knowledge and insight about the recipient of your love. In Paul’s case, he’s specifically referring to Christ and the Philippians as the recipient of this abounding love. He goes on to say that this, along with the power of the Holy Spirit, will empower us to approve what is excellent. I believe that this text has implications that apply to the current climate we’re in.
We know that as Believers in Jesus we are commanded (not encouraged) to love one another (John 13:34), but what this Philippians text reveals is that there is a correlation between the quality and quantity of our love and our knowledge and insight about the target of our love. It’s safe to say that if one has a superficial knowledge and insight of a person or subject and they do not intentionally explore more, their love for that person or subject will be capped. But, Biblical love seeks to understand. It is never satisfied with little knowledge or insight about its subject. Biblical love pursues deeper understanding because that leads to a deeper and richer love. I am convinced that knowledge and understanding are some of the keys that God uses to unlock a valuable Kingdom currency: compassion. Knowledge and insight leads to compassion, and compassion moves us from inaction to action.
So to my white and non-black brothers and sisters in Christ who may have unintentionally written off the pain or reality of larger problems because of how some have responded, there is grace for that. I have a couple of reflective questions for you: Are you approving what is excellent? Are you loving those who are in pain? As a Believer, I’m assuming the answer is yes, you want to approve what is excellent and love those in pain, but if judgement rules over the pursuit of deeper knowledge and insight, that love will be limited and ineffective.
You will also find yourself approving what is comfortable rather than what is excellent. “Excellent” in this context is retributive and restorative justice, as well as the dismantling of white supremacy in every area of our society. So, my challenge is to seek to understand the pain and perspective of People of Color, which will require humility. It will require that one says, “I will listen and ask honest questions. I will assume that what you say about your own experience holds more authority than my opinion about your experience.”
The answer is the same if you are one who is asking, “What can I do? How can I help?” It starts with love that is abounding in more and more understanding and insight. Again, that could look like seeking out People of Color to ask honest questions. It looks like taking personal initiative to educate yourself by picking up resources that explain systemic racism, the history of oppression in the U.S., or biographies of Black and Brown leaders throughout history (I’ve included some resources below that I’ve found helpful). Through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, having conversations, and consuming resources like these, your love will begin to deepen as well as help to provide the practical next steps that you can take to participate in the fight against racial inequity and injustice.
Jesus Is Our Model
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there aren’t any quick solutions here. This is tedious and enduring work. But as Believers, we don’t do anything alone. We have a community. We have a source. We have grace that empowers us to do what we can’t do on our own. As we humble ourselves before Jesus in this area of race, equity, and injustice, He will help us to be filled with love that is abounding with knowledge and insight.
In this conversation, it’s helpful to often think and reflect on Jesus’ example. Hebrews 4:15 says, He understands humanity, for as a Man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin. Jesus, the personification of love, sought to understand our condition. It was such a priority that He actually put on humanity like an outfit, if you will. He didn’t judge our condition from a distance, but instead He stepped into humanity to bring about solutions, restoration, and justice from the inside out. Scripture tells us that He was often moved with compassion into action. Where would we be today if Jesus didn’t understand our humanity? I’m grateful that I’ll never truly know. See, the fruit of this tedious Kingdom work will be that we will begin to see God’s Kingdom advanced on the earth, compassion released, racial injustices pushed back, and our relationships with one another deeper and richer.
Resource Suggestions:
Where Do We Go From Here? By Martin Luther King, Jr.
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
13th (Documentary on Netflix)
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum
References:
Brandon Henderson
The Vineyard Church // Urbana, IL