Guilty!

The African American Museum in Washington, D.C., recently posted a chart inside a paper on “Whiteness and White Culture,” clarifying certain signs of whiteness that include “individualism and hard work.” The article goes on and wants to “make you aware of certain signs of whiteness: Individualism, hard work, objectivity, the nuclear family, progress, respect for authority, and delayed gratification,” to name a few. Well, I confess. I’m white and guilty of all those things.

Anyone who has known my family and me for any length of time knows full well that we are all guilty of being “white,” according to the museum and its paper. My father was a hard-working man. He always worked six to seven days a week while I was growing up. Many days he would start before dawn and not get home until after dark. Fortunately for me, I was able to work with him from the time I was in the third grade until I joined the Navy. My mother also worked full-time until she retired. Sadly, my daddy died before he reached retirement. They both instilled in me a strong work ethic. I was taught to treat others fairly. I was taught to wait until I had saved enough money before I could get many things I wanted. I was taught not only to respect my elders but to respect authority as well. We attended church together, where we were active members. I was also fortunate in that my parents stayed together until my father’s death. I was reared in a good Christian home. Again, I’m guilty.

Within two weeks of receiving my Honorable Discharge from the Navy, I started my law enforcement career. I retired from law enforcement after 25 years of service. I was never unemployed for more than a couple of weeks between agencies where I worked. During my career, I took advantage of opportunities that came my way and was promoted through the ranks. I received the highest certification a law enforcement officer can achieve and even graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy. Again, I’m guilty.

To me, these things were normal. Of course, I wanted to do my best. That is what was expected of me and by me. As a Christian, God tells us that we are His representatives. We are expected to love God, our spouse, our family, and others as we love ourselves. We are expected to give our best effort and treat others with fairness and respect in our work and business dealings. We are expected to submit to authority as long as it doesn’t conflict with God’s Word. I have never read in the Bible where it says these things are reserved for only the “white” people. On the contrary. The Bible says these are things expected of a Christian.

What members of BLM, Antifa, and all the other groups need is Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Instead of playing the victim, they need to claim the blessings and glory that comes from the knowledge that only Jesus Christ can save them. They need to understand that we are all sinners, and we sin against a Holy God. Therefore, we need a Holy sacrifice to pay that sin debt. Jesus Christ left Heaven, was born of a virgin and lived a perfect, sinless life. He bore the sins of all mankind, was crucified for those sins, was buried in a tomb, was resurrected from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God The Father interceding for those that believe in Him. Then, and only then, will their eyes be opened and we can live in peace and harmony.