“A man once found a snake frozen on the side of the road. Feeling sorry for it, he picked it up, warmed it, and carried it close to his body. As soon as the snake regained strength, it bit him. As the poison moved through his body, the man asked, ‘Why did you bite me after I helped you?’
“The snake replied, ‘You knew what I was when you picked me up’” (Anonymous).
Wow! That illustration is something to really think about relentlessly! Racism is like that snake. It may appear as a thought, a joke, a stereotype, a family tradition, a political attitude, or a hidden feeling of superiority. Consequently, once it is allowed to live in the heart, it poisons everything it touches.
Key Scripture: 1 John 4:20, ESV declares, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” That is not soft language! God does not leave room for hatred dressed up in Sunday clothes. A person cannot sincerely claim to love the Creator while despising someone created in His image. Ponder the following beliefs about racism, and share them, especially with those who tend to think that racism is okay.
Racism is evil because it insults God. Genesis 1:27 reminds us that every human being is made in the image of God. To look down on another person because of skin color, culture, or ethnicity is to criticize the handiwork of God Himself. It is saying, “Lord, I do not like what You made.” That is perilous ground!
Racism destroys the one who carries it. Hatred does not live in the heart “rent-free.” It eats away at peace, joy, wisdom, and compassion. A racist spirit keeps a person suspicious, bitter, and spiritually blind. It convinces people they are standing tall, while inwardly they are shrinking.
Racism destroys families and friendships. It teaches children to fear people they have never met and reject people they have never known. It divides dinner tables, neighborhoods, churches, schools, and workplaces. It can cause lifelong wounds among people who might have loved, helped, learned from, and blessed one another.
Racism destroys communities and nations. When people are judged by color instead of character, justice becomes crooked, opportunity becomes unequal, and trust begins to die. Galatians 3:28, KJV affirms that in Christ, there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. The cross does not give us permission to hate; it commands us to be reconciled.
America, our churches and our communities cannot be healed while hatred is being protected. Racism must not be explained away, laughed off, passed down, or preached around. It must be confessed, confronted, and crucified. There is no getting around it: racism ultimately will destroy! If God searched your heart today, would He find love for all His children, or a poison you have learned to call normal? Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
