13 September 2011

Can I draw the line here?

I am scared of this poster.
There is a terror that rises deep within.
I am not afraid of being harmed by the KKK, I am white, favoured, safe.
What haunts me is a fear that I could very easily draw a line here.
I could shake my head and my fists and shout
"Enough of this grace stuff.  How can anyone forgive such hate?"

And once that line is drawn, who else would I place on the other side?
How high up on the ladder of judgement would I climb?
How many would I add to the list of those beyond forgiveness?

Yes, the KKK was/is a movement of hatred.
If I counter hate with hate then I join their ranks.

Lord, my flesh squirms, recoils and wants to deny the very thing You died for.
Help me extend forgiveness.
Help me walk immersed in radical grace.
Help me counter hate with love.

I am not beyond a second chance.
You, who are reading these words, are not beyond a second chance.
May we walk in this world believing the same of everyone.

At People of the Second Chance we are raising  our voices for second chances, to overthrow judgement and liberate love. Will you join us? 


8 comments:

Carolyn Evaine Counterman said...

Glad to be POTSC with you. I know how hard it is to NOT draw the lines. I struggle. I do. So glad I'm not struggling alone!

Karen Hammons said...

My favorite part: "What haunts me is a fear that I could very easily draw a line here." Giving radical grace can be scary and you have embraced that reality and shared it beautifully to let others know they are not alone in this.

Mystic_Mom said...

Oh I love this post, I love your blog! Thank you for this blessing of radical grace.

GrfxGawd said...

Forgiveness dose not mean forgetfulness.

Lisa notes... said...

Yes, I agree; the poster is scary. Being a radical follower of Jesus--who loves freely--is also scary. I'm trying to get rid of my fears and follow and love freely anyway...

Thanks for sharing about POTSC. It sounds wonderful.

Andrew Ronzino said...

"Help me extend forgiveness.
Help me walk immersed in radical grace.
Help me counter hate with love."

This is my prayer too!

Hate met with hate only causes bitterness. We need to counter hate with love...and that is not easy in any way.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

Margaret said...

The scariest thing to me isn't whether I would draw the line. It's the fact that I already had and didn't even know it.

That was the subject of my blog on this week's poster and it was your concept of drawing a line that made me think.

Thank you. It's nice to be POTSC with you.

Chris Tian said...

Great post, I have had my many struggles with hating the haters, hence becoming one like them. Even though I've been on the receiving end of their racism, Jesus never said it's okay for me to hate them back...Grace is hard.