A Changed Life

 

Dreaming is surely a way of seeing, of seeing with the mind’s eye. More than that, it is the soul’s perception of the world, it is an exposure made by the imagination, an involuntary record, a spiritual index, if you will. Do you know, I have been dreaming of the river that runs below.

YAHWEH to URSET (In the Bear’s House by N. Scott Momaday)

In 2012, I stood before pictures of dead bodies, and walked through stories of entire villages gone from genocide that ravaged the tiny country of Rwanda in 1994. It’s easy to have an emotional experience in a genocide memorial. I was in the largest, most extensive genocide memorial in Rwanda. I stood by myself among clothes of children slaughtered in the arms of their parents, among machetes that neighbors used to slaughter other neighbors and also listened to the sound of hate-filled speech recorded from the radio.

So often the death and destruction caused by the intersection of colonialism, toxic religious missions and white supremacy is experienced in the daily living of poor, Indigenous and marginalized people throughout the world. Those struggling under intersections of severe oppressions, at least have hope that while they still live, they will still rise, but to see it as death – violent, massive-scale death – killed my disembodied far away hope and resurrected something else within me.

In that moment, my life changed. I promised God that I would stand up for justice, against oppression and always raise my voice when evil would require silence and goodness would require risk. My ability to look away, my hope that someone else would do something and my apathy – died. My voice, my courage and dream for justice came alive.

It changed my life. That moment changed my life.

I don’t say that lightly. I’ve realized lately how much we overuse the phrase “[insert experience/book/conversation here] changed my life. It totally changed my life!” But how often is the life lived after that life changing event/conversation/book/experience actually different? Has life – really a series of choices and activities – not just thoughts and feelings – really changed?

For me, the time inside that genocide memorial changed how I would act when witnessing injustice and oppression in the world. It changed how I would use my voice – when and how I would speak out. It didn’t instantly give me knowledge of every issue or reveal what organizations I would work with, but it did change my mindset and compel me to action.

For many people, the last few months have caused an awakening. Maybe you too, have had a conversation (or a few) with God where you promised to stand up for justice, to challenge oppression, to learn, to listen and to make whatever change you can.

Here’s the thing, I’ve heard stories from white Christian pastors, speakers and friends tell stories of racial experiences that “changed their lives”. Yet, churches, ministries and relationships largely remain segregated. White churches continue to be planted in gentrifying neighborhoods with all white pastoral teams, all white congregations and all white teaching, conferences, referenced authors, training and theological underpinnings. My African American Christian pastors, speakers and friends have raised their voices but many need more resources, more alliances, more like-minded people with which to network and find encouragement from.

It’s time to make that promise into real lived action. I’m inviting you to do that through a concentrated time of learning, listening, reflection, education and relationship building. It will cost you. You will need to spend your time, your money and your emotional energy engaging issues of oppression and change. As a leadership team member with TransFORM Network, I really believe we are putting together a gathering that will help people move from a desire or promise of change to living a life of action and change. Come dream with us. Come put this love into action.

I love God – the Creator is who I look to for love and wholeness. I love my neighbor – at least I try to, I try to focus on being authentic, caring and sacrificial with those I share my life. It is the taking collective action part – the part where I have to be brave enough to partner with others, stumble through public, political, and community issues that are complicated and sometimes confusing – that I still haven’t figured out many answers too. But that’s why we have each other.

Experiencing a life change isn’t about making perfect decisions from that moment on, it’s about making a commitment to change and then finding ways to walk that out. Since I stood in that genocide memorial in Rwanda, I’ve changed into a seeker of justice and an exposer of oppression. I look for ways to live out that life change every day.  That’s why we have gatherings like our time in D.C. coming up this April. It will not be a time of feel good keynote sessions and skip-able breakouts, no, it will be a time to experience a life change and find practical ways to live that change out.

Come to the TransFORM Network gathering, April 23-25, 2015 in Washington, DC.
It might change your life.