I’ve been reflecting on several of my personal realities recently:
I am white.
I am middle-aged (assuming I live to be 104)
I am a male.
I am 5’7” tall.
I weigh…. (that’s not important)
I am right-handed.
I live in (Almost Heaven) WV.
I am a Christ-follower.
None of these realities are new discoveries to me. I’ve been a white male from the day I was born. It took me a few years to discover I was right-handed and several more to get to 5’7” tall, but I’ve been both for quite some time now. I was raised in WV and moved back 18 months ago. My journey with Christ spans 36 years and counting and it has taken over 5 decades to earn “middle-age” status.
Some of these realities are of my choosing while others are beyond my control. I chose to become a Christian. I know that, technically, He chose me before I chose Him, but I still had to choose to believe. Moving back to my home state of WV was not an easy decision for me, but I had a say in making it and I’m thrilled to be here! I did not choose to be 5’7” tall, or white, or a male, or right-handed, or even middle-aged. The only choice I’ve made with each of these realities is to embrace them!
I have no reason to regret or repent from any of these realities, chosen or unchosen. I have no reason to be ashamed of who I am or what stage of life I am currently in. I will not entertain the thought that I am somehow better than anyone else on the planet who is not like me, nor will I be guilted into thinking I am somehow lesser than others.
I am a white, middle-aged, 5’7”, right-handed Christ-following male who lives in WV. None of this is new news to me, but the events of the last 12 months have done something new in me….
I am now more aware than I have ever been that good or bad, I’ve been experiencing life through the lens of my own realities. My left-handed friends have a different reality than me, especially when sitting at a desk in high school. My taller friends, though they have an easier time reaching the top shelves at the grocery store, often bump their heads in my basement. My older friends seem to have a few more aches and pains than I currently have, and my younger friends haven’t had enough trips around the sun to gain some of the wisdom that only comes with time. I don’t think twice about walking across the parking lot at night to my truck. Many of my female friends have a different perspective on this and many other things that never show up on my radar.
My friends of color are people of character. They are well-educated, hardworking, and committed Christians. In honest conversations they’ve told me how they go the extra mile to be courteous to law enforcement when they get pulled over. (Yes, I know everyone should be courteous to law enforcement, but I sensed from these friends they had a keen awareness for this.) They also shared about the insults they’ve received simply because of the color of their skin. (I’ve been insulted a few times, but it wasn’t over that.) These good people were not looking for special treatment, mind you. They just wanted fair treatment. I don’t think that is too much to ask.
So, now that I’m aware that not everyone is experiencing the world as a white, middle aged, 5’7” tall, right-handed male living in Almost Heaven West Virginia, what am I going to do? The teachings of Jesus and his disciples, James & Paul, that have been shaping my life for decades now are resonating in my spirit even more:
- I will strive to treat everyone (regardless of age, race, gender, etc.…) the way I want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12)
- I will do more than just hear others; I will listen to their story. (James 1:19)
- I will pay the one debt I know I owe to others: Love them. (Romans 13:8)
Honestly, I’m not sure what I can do to change laws, or systems, or Washington, or Charleston, but I can and actively will change me. I may not be ‘woke’, but I am more aware.
- Bro. Ray
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