I want my children to be the stranger sometimes, too.
I want their ears flooded with the music of other tongues.
I want them to be speechless as they smash into unfamiliar sights, smells, tastes and sounds.
I want them to experience being the minority.
I want their friendships saturated with color.
I want them to sit in a foreign living room drinking milk tea and wonder if they’re doing it right.
I want them to always err on the side of generosity.
I want them to know their country is not the center or the best, but one equal square in the world’s quilt.
I want them to make room at the table.
I want them to speak up for the voiceless, the invisible and the excluded.
I want them to absorb the pain of others.
I want them to splash in the thrill of creating like the Creator.
I want them to feel funny, smart, beautiful, creative and respected without needing to be.
I want them to be brave, bold, confident and strong.
I want them to surrender to the discipline of discomfort, allowing it to uproot pride and demolish their assumptions.
I want them to die to themselves.
I want them to love the sacred song of stillness.
I want them to understand how history impacts them and their neighbor.
I want them to speak light into another person’s darkness.
I want them to be undone by the suffering of others, but empowered by their own suffering.
I want them to serve quietly, but persistently.
I want them to know the Jesus who died for the ungodly, served the undeserving and shattered fear, hopelessness, anxiety through defeating death.
I want them to be free—unhindered, unshackled and unfettered.
I want them to be understood, known and satisfied.
I want them to love extravagantly, for they are extravagantly loved.
New to the Series? Start HERE (though you can jump in at any point!).
During the month of March, 2017, I will be sharing a series called 31 Days of #Woke. I’ll be doing some personal excavating of views of race I’ve developed through being in schools that were under court order to be integrated, teaching in an all black school as well as in diverse classrooms in Chicago and my experiences of whiteness living in Uganda and China. I’ll also have some people of color share their views and experiences of race in the United States (I still have some open spots, so contact me if you are a person of color who wants to share). So check back and join in the conversation. You are welcome in this space.
