The Gravity of the MOMENT!

The Gravity of the Moment

As I sat in church this morning I began to contemplate the responsibility of the task that I have undertaken. Making a decision to become involved in a movement to create racial equality in the justice system comes with many powerful implications and consequences. I will lose friends on both sides of the spectrum, but it was more than that.

A young man lost his life and ignited a fire. Many are still grappling with the question: What is so different about this death and so many others? The truth is, I don’t have all of the answers. Sometimes God allows certain things to happen in the right environment at the right time to create the perfect storm. I don’t have an explanation for the mothers of the thousands of black youth that have been murdered in this country since the death of Trayvon Martin. I know you wonder why so many people have become engrossed in the fallout of his death while the death of your child seems to have gone unnoticed. As a black man and a leader in the community, I apologize, because every life should matter.

The more I contemplated what was transpiring; I realized that the moment was far larger than me. The weight of what I have undertaken rested on my chest like a ton of bricks. I realized that there was no popular ground on which to rest my feet. The blacks won’t be happy because I will call them to own their own mess and acknowledge the erroneous thought processes and paradigms that keep them entrenched in the desolate valley of poverty and misfortune. The whites will take issue because they are being called out to deal with an issue they just keep hoping will go away.

The truth is that there is enough responsibility and blame to go around; starting with me.

Wise Advice

As I sat there this morning, I was reminded of something my great-grandfather once told me. He said, “Son, there is only one thing that will rid the world of darkness, and that is light. The truth is that light son. Remember you can’t please everyone and there is no one you will be able to please 100 percent of the time. It is not your responsibility to seek the approbation of man, but to stand in truth. Speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may.”

So, the way that I engage this monumental moment is by simply seeking the truth and speaking it, regardless to what others may think or say.

The Truth

The truth is that many blacks will become disenfranchised when I refuse to spew hatred towards whites. As a believer, I hate no one and hating adds nothing to the character of the one doing the hating. I will not label every white person a bigot and a racist, for there are those who I would gladly stand in the trenches with; because they have stood in the trenches with me. Does this mean that I am giving white America a pass? Not in the slightest. White America, as a whole, has some culpability in the plight of the black race; owning and engaging this is the only way that it can be effectively rectified.

White America wants me to stick to quoting scriptures, writing inspirational treatises, and participating in other community events that don’t cast light on the darkness of racism. Not all whites are racists, but most wish that everyone would stop talking about it. The problem is, we did that, and it’s only gotten worse.

Here is some real truth: Since Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman, at least 4 other black male youth have died at the hands of white men, and in all four cases the possibility that the killings were racially motivated, to some extent, is extremely high. Before the black community starts singing my praise for pointing that out, you should know that in that same time frame another 3,000 plus black kids have been murdered, but these kids died at the hands of other blacks.

To the white community, based on our collective history, it will never be acceptable for even one of our kids to die because of the color of their skin (not one). To my fellow blacks, we should be as sick of the fact that our kids are committing fratricide at an alarming rate, as we are disgusted with the murder of our youth by whites. I am not saying dismiss the awful things that have happened to our race at the hands of the white man. I am saying that we will never get anyone to respect and care about our plight until we began to care ourselves. We are literally imploding as a race.

An Analogy

When the Israelites were suffering under the oppression of the Egyptians, God sent Moses. Moses lobbied for the release of his people, assisted by the mighty hand of God. Eventually, the Israelites were released. However, there was a problem. These slaves had never known freedom. They were the fruit of 400 years of oppression. They soon found that freedom came at a steep price. Room and board was no longer provided. Food was no longer a guarantee. Most of all, they found out that their oppressor would not easily relinquish its power over them.

The Israelites initial response was to go back to Egypt and surrender and move back into slavery. At least they would have shelter and food. They had cried to be delivered for their entire lives, but freedom was overwhelming. Although they did not go back to Egypt, they did something just as bad; they attempted to live the life of freedom with the mindset of a slave.

They complained about everything. They complained about water and God told Moses to strike the rock and water came forth. They complained about food and God gave them manna. They complained that there was no meat to eat with the manna, so God gave them quail to eat.

Then God tells them that he is giving them a land that is full of abundance; a land flowing with milk and honey. He told them that it was already theirs; they only had to go in and possess it. The problem was there were giants in that land that had no intention on just handing it over, but God had said it was theirs. Caleb and Joshua declared that because God said they could, they could, but the other spies reported that it was all God said it was. They just did not believe that they could take it.

Why did I share this story? I share this with you because far too long blacks have been attempting to live in a free world with a slave mentality (I won’t get into the specifics today.). For far too long blacks have been complaining to God about provision, and when he provided it, we simply became comfortable with it. God has told us of our promised position in this nation and in this world, but he says we must go in and possess it. It will not fall into our hands; we must go in and possess it. It will not be voluntarily relinquished; we must go in and possess it. The problem is that we have seen giants. We can see that there is a better world but we fear the giants. We fear failure. We fear racism. We fear the lack of popularity. We fear the possibility of actually having to invest some blood, sweat and tears.

Not only that, we fear the fact that we may have to perform three times as better than the white person to get the same results (while failing to realize that we are capable).

Yes, I am very much aware of racism in this country, I witness it more than I would like to admit, but I can honestly say that racism has not stifled my conquest of the promised purpose and destiny God has promised me. You know the unique and powerful thing about destiny? The more you try to stop it; you only insure that it happens. Your giants were not meant to stop you; they were meat to catapult you into your promised land.

 

Conclusion

Dr. Rick Wallace

I will lose friends and I will make enemies, but at the end of the day, I will be able to sit down and tell my great-grandkids how I stood on the truth and cast light into a dark world. I have no desire to ponder at the pool of popularity. I have no yearning to meander through the maze of mediocrity. I do not seek the approbation of man nor do I acquiesce to the pressure of the moment.

As a Christian believer, I have a responsibility to speak the truth in love. I can’t just talk pretty and smile, while my people are living in fear, poverty, neglect, as well as fighting against a system that is designed to keep them down. I will stand on the truth. I will push for blacks to possess the land and I will call on whites to honor what God is calling them to do. There is one other thing my great-grandfather told me: If you are not a part of the solution you are, by default, contributing to the problem. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace