The book You Are Your Best Thing is causing me to reflect. It is a collection of essays by black authors articulating their experience within a culture that constricts their freedom. Each voice is worth hearing.
One woman, Tracey Michae'l Lewis Giggetts struggles to dovetail her religion with life even when it too binds her. She sees the pain of people who are minimized by the church, when Jesus asks us to minister to the least of these.
"We miss the opportunity to be agents of healing, because we are too deeply invested in certainty as a marker of our faith. Ironic since, by definition, faith requires a relinquishing of our certainty.... And if you are so certain about everything, then even God won't be able to tell you anything different about what you 'believe'. Your certainty becomes an idol in the face of a God who never changes but is ever moving." p 60-61
I have noticed the softening of my own sharp edges of absolutes. Being created in the image of God does not mean that I am a replica. Neither does it justify staying stagnant while God hovers.
When I think of the explanations I handed my young children it becomes clear that they become outdated. Not the commandments, but imperatives like don't talk to strangers, or hold my hand when we cross the street. Perhaps the rules God gave me when I was in my twenties can be retired, making room for practices that are more inclusive.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5
