Another video about grace. This story has been around for a little bit, but since it showed up on my radar again, I thought I would post it.
This is group of Christians (and/or people who attend a Christian School)who understand what it means to extend grace to others in a game of football. There are three quick points I want to highlight
Without knowing the details of each case, it’s probably safe to say that these kids are doing their time in prison for things that they have done. They probably aren’t innocent. They are making a good decision in choosing to work hard at school while there, but that work does not absolve their guilt.
There are parents in this crowd who are cheering against their own kids to give a gift to the visiting kids.
Editing notwithstanding, check out the reaction of the visiting kids. I’ll bet they will never forget this.
I’m leading a bible study on Ephesians, and we just got done with the 1st 3 chapters, and I’m seeing parallels to these points in Paul’s writing. What do you guys think of this video?
So I’ve been thinking about grace recently and was thinking that I should work out some of those thoughts here. Then I found this video that says what I’ve been thinking.
Here’s my thoughts so far. I think we often confuse grace with acceptance. Acceptance says “Don’t worry about it, no harm done,” or “I dont’ mind, this doesn’t offend me/didn’t hurt me” or “it doesn’t matter”. True grace and forgiveness says “That thing you did, it hurt me, and it does matter. In spite of that, I will not hold it against you.”
What do you think about the above flag (and yes it’s a single flag). I think the most interesting thing about the linked article is the disagreement in the comments over what the confederate flag means.
I wasn’t aware that in my Southern heritage that we systematically rounded up large groups of people and gassed them… or invaded other countries…
I happen to find the rebel flag a nice reminder of where I’m from and what it means for me to be an American. I understand that’s probably as foreign to everyone else as eating “grits”, but it’s where I’m from and that means something to me.
I’m curious about what you guys think about all this. What do you first think of when you see the confederate flag, racism or a celebration of southern heritage? What do you think of people who see it the other way? How should we handle the disagreement?
Solomon looked at me for a moment and then he burst out laughing. He was not convinced of my words in the slightest. “Aw c’mon Ms. Baker, nobody thinks we’re smart! If they did, they wouldn’t give us this broken-down school and these ratty old books. You don’t even have enough paper and pencils for us!”
As a first-year teacher, I was shocked that a 10-year-old was fully aware of the implicit disparity in our country’s two-tiered public education system. He wondered why someone like me — an African American who had graduated from college and “made it” — would ever choose to teach in his low-income public school.
The article itself is a good read, but the section above struck me, because it also illustrates how messages that we never explicitly state can still be clearly communicated through our actions. If we truly value those who have the least, then we must pay attention to how the societal structures we are a part of reflect that value.
Yes, I know I’m probably preaching to the choir with my readers. So for those of you who are working to make it happen, I salute you and hope you continue to find encouragement in your work.
The Stars and Bars really ought to be seen as the American equivalent to the swastika at this point.
What’s to be proud of in taking up arms against your countrymen in order to be able to own other human beings?