Over the past few days, I have thought a lot about George Floyd and the events surrounding his death. It grieves me that anyone would be treated like that. It is a horrible and unacceptable way to die. It was nothing short of murder. I cannot imagine what his family is going through at this point. I know that we are called to mourn with those who mourn and so I do. My prayer is for justice to be served.
I want to make it very clear that I have always endeavored to love others the way God has called me to. He says that we are to love as He loves and that is without condition. My father raised me to believe in the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that we should “judge others by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.”
I think it is important for all of us to seek to understand the experiences of our fellow men. Never has this been more evident than in my time at the Potter‘s House high school. It can be easy to become frustrated with a student who is not responding. Often, once I take the time to talk to them and find out what is going on in their lives, our relationship improves.
Let me be vulnerable here. I think it is easy for anyone of us to make judgments about others. I know it has happened to me numerous times. I have faced discrimination in my personal life and as I have sought to build a professional career. I understand that for most people it was not meant to be offensive and was not carried out in a malicious manner but it was true nonetheless.
People are afraid of things they don’t know. As a result, I am 14 years out of college and have yet to work a full-time job. This has nothing to do with my ability. I graduated from college with a high GPA and have a strong creative mind. Instead, it has to do with people’s perception of my ability.
All of my life I have had to work twice as hard to prove that I am just as good. This is not a complaint, merely a statement of fact. I have tried to make the most of every opportunity I get to do so. On another note, I have been dragged into a meeting with HR at a former employer because I humbly asked for assistance of a personal nature and my coworkers were too afraid to let me know they were uncomfortable even though I told them they were more than welcome to voice that to me. It saddens me that they thought they couldn't be honest with me. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
My purpose in sharing this is not to minimize the experiences of others, but rather to point out that we all have struggles in our lives, and we have a choice to become a victim or a victor. I had to make a decision as a 14-year-old boy to choose to be a victor instead. That didn’t automatically make me a success, but it has allowed me to persevere instead of blaming society for my problems. I am a better man for it.
If you are familiar with my ministry at all you know that I have not shied away from discussing these issues. I always appreciate when someone takes the time to voice their concerns and what makes them afraid of my disability and seek to truly understand what it is like to be me. I would rather answer any questions you may have than to have your fear create distance between us.
I believe that in this time of unrest in which we find ourselves, we need to come alongside our brothers and sisters of color and acknowledge that we want to understand their struggle, at the same time realizing that we can never fully enter into what they have been through.
The most important thing to remember is that God made all of us. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:26-27
He didn’t make a mistake with anyone's skin color, personality, or with the gifts and talents he gave each of us. Rather we are each a unique expression of the creative God who we serve. I can honestly say that I strive to love everyone. I may struggle to like you at times, but I will always love you because He does and He doesn’t make junk.
Because I made assumptions that were not true I potentially missed a few years of close friendship with a dear friend. Fortunately, after I humbled myself we were able to experience a true friendship that was a blessing from the Lord. This had nothing to do with race (we were both white) and everything to do with the fact that I am an imperfect sinner. I believe I have learned from this experience and have grown as a man as a result.
We all descended from Adam—every single one of us. There are no exceptions to this rule. If we view each person as someone for whom Jesus died, racism and many other issues will fade away by God's grace. There will always be evil in the world, but as Jesus told his disciples “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 His promise is just as valid for us today! :)
May God bless you and keep you and may the Lord make His face to shine upon you. My hope is that you (and I) will seek God for his wisdom in the days ahead and will always try to be his light to the world.
Love in Christ,
Andrew Gommesen
