Make a Change

With everything going on right now, I believe one way to help and show support is to not be silent in sharing stories, positive love, and show that you’re with righteousness. I will share a little bit about mine. 

I grew up in a very fortunate family situation based around love. With that being said, I am an african american and I did have to have special talks and realization about some truths of this world. I was taught to always be respectful, be kind and treat others the correct way. I was also told that not everyone would treat me that way and sometimes it would be because of my race. As unfortunate as that sounds, that was the truth I had to live with growing up and even today.

I have been stopped by the police based on suspicion on the neighborhood I was in, I have been stopped and searched because I was thought to have drugs in my car, and I have been looked at differently when walking into a store with a group of friends because maybe they thought we would steal something. I’ve never had any disciplinary problems in my entire life. I went to a predominantly white school growing up and made the honor roll list each semester. I say all of this to bring light to the point that even though I was doing everything I could to be successful, I still was looked at differently by some people.

One thing I am proud of, is the amount of relationships I have been able to create with all races and ages rather it be from me playing basketball, or just everyday interaction. Over the summers, I am a trainer at a basketball facility and I see kids and families of all races. Many of these kids I have been able to make an impact in their life. Even though I am just a small part of their day, I am able to help them out on and off the court. In order for us to make a change in this world, we must instill the qualities of Jesus in any type of interaction we have with someone. 

The bible speaks of protests and supports it. We are all called to serve the purposes of God. That includes righteousness. It is encouraged to fight for justice and righteousness for all because we serve a righteous God. We start by changing ourselves and our views on the injustice of the world. One thing we must know is the anger and dislikes of injustice is not called for us to act illegitimately. Legitimate protest honors God and His will. Remember, there are two types of ways of thinking we can have, God's way or the world’s way. You get to make the choice on which way you will decide to choose and which way you will instill and influence someone else. So as you stand up for the justice of society, share your story if you have one to give others information, open your eyes to the wrongs of this world, reach out to someone else of different race or color and show love, protest and rally in public righteously or even share positive things on social media. Stand up for what is right and bring the qualities of Jesus back into every area of your life to impact someone else's.