Black History Month
2/22/22
Paul Bishop
Director Bridge of Hope, MA, LPC, LPC/S
As we celebrate black history month in the US, I thought about the many black Americans who have contributed to our society! I have always admired the courage of those individuals such as Harriet Tubman who was willing to put her life at risk to save others, even after securing her own freedom. It is also significant that trailblazers such as Jackie Robinson were willing to stand out though they were under unfair scrutiny in order to break barriers. In our day, we have individuals such as Dr. Tony Evans who was once refused to be allowed on a radio station because he was black and now is on over 1400 radio stations regularly. We have famous orators like Dr. King, poets like Angela Mayou, singers like Mahalia Jackson, and many less famous missionaries and church leaders like Virgil Lee Amos who founded a mission organization with a global impact.
While we celebrate these contributors and others who have helps us move in the direction of a more free and just society, I am reminded of the example of Jesus who sometimes made those around Him uncomfortable through His attempts to reach beyond the race He was born into as He sought to identify with all people around Him. Jesus went beyond what was commonly accepted in His day and embraced Samaritans and individuals of all races who were disadvantaged whether it was by social or economic standing. As the early church expanded, God made a special point to send an evangelist to reach a man from Ethiopia who would become an influential ambassador to that part of Africa in order to spread the Gospel there. God was not passive, but intentional in His efforts to embrace all into His Kingdom.
As we go about life in a day when we may find it easy to rest in the security that laws have been created and progress has been made, may we still look for those opportunities to follow in the steps of those who have the courage to speak up when injustice occurs, reach out when isolation is experienced, be uncomfortable when necessary and embrace every person around us. This is what Jesus did. This is what He is still doing. This is what you and I need to be known for as his followers.