Give me Your Eyes….
“Give me your eyes for just one second…give me your eyes so I can see…everything that I keep missing…give me your love for humanity…give me your arms for the broken-hearted… the ones that are far beyond my reach…give me your heart for the ones forgotten…give me your eyes so I can see” This song by Brandon Heath resonates with me so deeply. Someone once said “may the things that breaks God’s heart break my heart”. As we plan to walk across our state I pray we can see. Although we don’t like to talk about it…even deny it exists….lack of respect, deep rooted racism, and disdain for others still unlike us is very much present. It may lie underneath the surface but it is there. Walking across the state means recognizing its presence but also carrying a banner of love that calls us to go much deeper into continuing to understand and work to right the wrongs we see. The challenge is that to experience such a love- all of us will be required to sacrifice in some way…and that is so hard. What do I mean???? For example, if I want African American kids and minority children to have resources for better schools…something will have to give…like I may need to tighten my belt and be willing to pay higher property taxes so all can win. An educated state benefits us all. In Sumter County and other counties peppered on the Alabama/Mississippi state line our schools are still legally segregated…white kids go to the small often under resourced academies and blacks, minorities, and poor whites go to the public schools and our resources are divided and another cycle of hate, distrust, and lack of respect for each other continues…That is just one example. And it is another reason we are walking…We pray for the eyes to see, and for arms to reach out. We walk and ask God to give us the “arms for the broken hearted…the ones that are far beyond our reach”.
God bless and see you on the walk!