Impressions After the MLK March and Rally

This was the second time I have attended the MLK rally and march here in Spokane. My daughter and I marched with other members of Immanuel. The decision to participate was sort of a no-brainer. We are a part of Immanuel, Immanuel values racial reconciliation and we were able to attend, so we joined in.

As a white person of privilege, I have struggled to know how to engage in racial reconciliation in a productive way. I suppose that a part of my reason for attending the event was both a show of solidarity in desiring unity as well as seeking direction and guidance.

In some ways I was reminded today that God often calls us first to take a step of faith and the details get filled-in later. Abraham, one of the greatest examples of faith shown to us in the Bible, was called to sacrifice his son, something unfathomable, but he trusted that God would be faithful and deliver Issac one way or another.

During the rally I was moved by the words Mama Beans spoke to the attendees. She encouraged us to not be people who perpetuate chaos but to be people who value unity. She brought it down to a local level, reminding us that we all hold different ideologies but we should strive for unity through being people who show unconditional love to one another.

I was encouraged by her words because so often I am left with a helpless sense that there is little I can do as a person of privilege, but she reminded each of us that we can be people who are dedicated to showing unconditional love to all who we come in contact with. We rub shoulders with people who are different than us on a daily basis, can we learn to see that person as Jesus does? I think we can.

My step of faith lately has been to believe that God desires reconciliation. The little piece of the puzzle God revealed to me today is that we ought to accomplish this through showing unconditional love to each person we come into contact with.