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Monday, May 16, 2016

A Tale of Two Zipcodes...

A Tale of Two Zip Codes from BLACKMATH on Vimeo.


This video got my attention as it mentioned the "root cause" of cities becoming high risk and less fortunate than others (my paraphrase) was "racial and economic discrimination."  I think we should go deeper and call the root cause "pride."  The manifestation of pride is racial and economic discrimination and not the other way around.  Its an amazing video and it got me thinking...

I grew up in the suburbs of the Southern California coast.  I've been blessed to say the least.  I didn't do anything to earn that life.  I don't think I deserved a life so good, but it was the hand I got.  My dad immigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii in the 70s not knowing English or what life would be like in America.  But he worked hard, learned English, graduated high school, took a few college courses and hit the work force.  By the 80s, we moved to San Clemente, CA.  I'm not going to lie, SC is the "coolest" city in Orange County and all others want to be like us...so I thought in my prideful little heart.

There is a certain blindness that trends to happen in the suburbia bubble.  I'll just speak for myself: I thought I was better than kids who didn't live by the beach.  So I joined the juvenile games of writing "locals only" at the beach or writing "inlanders s*ck" on my opee-chee manila folders.  Why?  What made me better than the kid who lived inland?  What gave me the right to tell them to "beat it" when they wanted to enjoy the waves?  Was it because I earned my right to be there? Not at all.  This is a pride issue.

Theres is another danger and that trends in the local church: there is a tendency to bring worldly mindsets into the Church.  Social media provides the venue for projecting false images of ourselves repeatedly so that our friends and family begin to think our lives are what is portrayed in our Instagram posts or Facebook pictures.  And in the local church (especially the youth group) there is a temptation to project a false images of ourselves.  Most of us in the youth group with boyfriends and girlfriends were sexually active, but nobody was talking about it and nobody was pinpointing the root causes of premarital sexual behavior.  It could be deception, pride, idolatry.  Whatever the case the heart of the issue is always an issue of the heart.  When I talk to youth now, I define virginity and sexual purity.  I  deceived myself in thinking I was a virgin just because I was not engaging in intercourse.  But I was wrong.  Deep down I knew my actions were sinful and I didn't have leaders who defined what it meant to "bring your virginity to the alter."

And it may be a long shot, but what if those behaviors were rooted in the sin of pride; namely, me thinking I'm something special because of my zip code?!  I can't even imagine all the collateral damage that came about as a result of pride.

Racism is also rooted in pride.  Racism is saying, "I'm better than you because I was born."  Nobody earned their ethnicity.  Nobody earned their socio-economic status. Nobody earned where they live.  If we're in tune with reality and the Truth, all good things are a gift from God.  We came out of dust and we're returning to dust.  Pride is so ridiculous and it even hurts my pride to write this post.  I hate admitting all of the deeds and words I chose growing up and even now.

But God is gracious to me and even in my recollection of pride, racism, and bigotry, he reminds me that I would have been that (and should have been) for all eternity had he not come in and saved me.

Today I am no longer racist.  And I cannot take the credit for that.  I believe it was God working in and on my soul.  Surrounding me with men who ask me hard questions.  Surrounding me with people who know and have been changed by the gospel.  God has given me a wife and children who know the truth and have enough courage to be transparent and vulnerable in their own sins.  My family is not afraid to call me out on my own sins.

I am truly blessed because of what God has done in my life despite me.

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