“Superficiality is the curse of our age…. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”
~Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

There is nothing to race.  Its length and breadth in history has been grossly exaggerated.  Its continued impact on human life and the formation of our communities is only possible because of our blind allegiance to it.  We have become its propaganda, its tracks etched on our bodies and practiced in our day to day living. We spread its rumors as truth. In this regard, however, I cannot blame race alone for our social and spiritual condition.

Our admiration of race is rooted in our lust for power and desire to rule over others. We believe in race because we believe that we are better than others, that we are superior to other cultures. We believe in race because we believe that there are those who are expendable and that impede our success. We believe in race because we believe that the world was created for us alone. It is but an expression of our hubris and the absence of an understanding or acceptance of God’s purpose for all of humanity.

Race is not difficult to understand or hard to grasp.  There is nothing mysterious about race and consequently, race is nothing to be afraid of.  If we cannot face race, it is because we cannot face the truth about ourselves.  If we cannot talk about race, it is because we are unable to talk to ourselves, our neighbor and our God.  But, we must talk about it as often as we think about it, as often as we employ it, as often as we use it as a reference point.  Why is it a part of our thought pattern?  Why does it continue to serve as a means by which to identify the plethora of cultures in the world?  What continues to make it relevant?  What need does race satisfy?  What desire does it fulfill? We must not fear race or those we label racially for that matter.  We can overpower race if we only exert the effort.  Begin to question its presence and the foundation of race will begin to shake.  But, are we ready to battle ourselves?

It is for this reason that we have only scratched the surface of its meaning for our lives.  Still, we must challenge ourselves to go deeper. Don’t let your conversation about race end with an introduction.  It is not enough to simply know the colors of race, their stereotypes and prejudices.  Don’t blindly accept race as truth but ask why it is true. Continue the dialogue about race’s work in history and its purpose in society before you allow it to join in your life. Don’t trust the intentions of race; you barely know what it is.  It doesn’t matter who introduced you to race. Get to know this social construct for yourself.

Don’t take it on face value.  Don’t believe in it because everyone else does.  Don’t see it because everyone else does.  Instead, go deeper. Look past race and look beyond race.  Don’t let it impede your vision or get in your way.  Take a vested interest in what defines you and determine what will and will not.  Don’t simply accept the words, experiences, synonyms and antonyms placed beside your name and culture. Race is not a definition of humanity.  Instead, go deeper than the social coloring of your skin.

Don’t skim your life but read it from cover to cover.  Make notations and doggy ear pages that capture experiences that stand out for you. Examine your life.  Race is not a cheat sheet.  It is not an accurate summary of the life that we have lived together, any culture or individual. It is not a trustworthy storyteller of history or an accurate predictor of the future. There is more to life than race sees or acknowledges.

Race is not all- encompassing; its reach is not as far as we think or perhaps, imagine. There are places that race does not go, places where race cannot be found. Race is not as high as we have raised it.  Race has limitations and restrictions as our knowledge of race is not proof of our wisdom but self- ignorance.

Friends, don’t accept race just because it is given to you.  You don’t have to take it; you don’t have to put up with it. You can give it back; you can push back against society’s labels. “Why?”, you may be asking. Because the possession of race is not free but willI cost you your life. The life that society conspires with race for you to have is not synonymous with the life that God has prepared for you.

Race is a thief, a robber and we will continue to be victims as long as we possess it. Race can only take from us; it has nothing to give.  And the continued presence of race in our lives is not proof of the depths of our understanding of who we are but is evidence of the superficiality of it.