In April I made a decision to join the Impact Movement. The
Impact Movement is a campus ministry that reaches out to black students to
point them toward Jesus and disciple them. You may be curious about why I, a white woman, could
be effective in a ministry that seeks to minister to and mobilize black people.
It seems a very daunting task, I know! Apparently in Impact’s 25-year history,
I am the first white person to join its staff.
I don’t know many of the Impact students yet, but we have a
GroupMe going where I introduced myself with a picture of my family and a few
details about us back in May. Some of them got to meet me in person at the end of the semester. My
GroupMe introduction got a few likes and then time marched on, but last week
one of the students asked, “Hey, are you still trying to get to know people?”
I replied, “Hello, @abraham I sure am! Do you have something
in mind?”
He proceeded to ask me how much do I love black people. He
saw that my husband is black, but he wanted to know if I was comfortable around
black people and what kind of experience I had.
I was taken aback by his direct questions (and could have
become offended and angry probably), but I was certain that he was not the only
one with those questions. He was the one who decided to take the first bold
step. I answered him honestly and directly with a very long, heartfelt response.
I realize I have to build trust in these students like no other relationships
in my life as I allow God to use me in cross cultural ministry.
Then he said, “That sounds good if this were an interview,
but I want to know the real you.”
You see, I think what he really wanted to know was could he
trust me. He wanted to know that I would be willing to empathize with his life.
He wanted to know that I was willing to love him and his peers as they are. He
was challenging me to be a leader who could actually lead in a culture that is
not my own.
After an extensive and very honest conversation he said, “That’s
what I like to hear MRS. @lynette Washington. We had finally broken through the
surface and he was willing to take a step toward trusting me. From that moment
forward, our conversation became more personal. We talked about our families,
where we are from and who we want to be when we grow up. It was beautiful!
In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul uses the analogy of the human body
to describe the Church – the people who have made a decision to receive Jesus
as their Savior in order that they may be reconciled to God, not by their own
imperfect attempts at being “good enough” but by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. Paul describes unity through diversity. He describes one body with many
parts – each part just as valuable and critical as another to bring complete
life to the body. We need not compare our role as “a toe” to another’s role as “an
eye” wishing we could be another part or expecting the other parts to work like
our own. If we were all the same the body would not be able to function. If we
did not submit to the head of the body – Jesus Christ – we fail to be whole and
capable of our intended purpose.
Chapter 12 finishes with “And now I will show you the most
excellent way.”
Chapter 13 opens with “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith
that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to
the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV
The next few verses are all too familiar to most of us who
have been married in the Christian faith.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does
not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps
no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” 1
Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV
I believe we have sold these verses short. We have attempted
to box them into a context where they do not fit. This vivid description of
love does not only apply in marriage, it is about being the body, the Church, the bride
of Christ. It is about showing love to each other AND to a world that
desperately wants to be loved. A world of people who want to belong and be
known. We have forgotten how to love!
I was able to show love to Abraham. I was willing to put his
need ahead of my own for the sake of something big than both of us. Allowing
Abraham the opportunity to be totally honest was important to him. It built a
bridge between us so we can start the journey of walking toward each other
instead of building a wall that will divide us.
Paul wraps up chapter 13 with “And now
these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
(v.13) God is love. He defines it and he displays it perfectly. It is our job
as believers to share him – his love – with everyone we meet. I am excited to
be a part of the Impact Movement. It has meant so much to my personal faith
journey since my first experience with it in Atlanta, GA nearly 20 years ago.
It changed my life to be immersed in a culture not my own, and in it be able to see
God’s love with fresh eyes . My understanding of Him grew as a white girl in a room full of 2,500 black people. I hope the same will
be true of this new adventure as I lead with love.
