I HAVE A DREAM

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." MLK

In my life, these words have become wildly true.

When you have a black brother, a black sister, a black daughter or a black son, and you are white, these words become a once unknown, now passionate truth for you as a white person.

It stays lit inside my heart.  It touches my soul in a deep place.  Reading these words 50 years later, I am overwhelmed.

Dear friends, because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ MLK's words have become true for us today.

Yes, there is racism.  Yes, there is oppression.  Yes, there is judging and there are stereotypes.  Horrible things still happen in the name of racism.  But because of the blood of Christ that covers all things... that takes the blame... that Loves like none other... we can be One with Him.  Little white girls and little white boys can joined together as sisters and as brothers with little black girls and little black boys.  Hear me today, friends.  Today in the United States of America white families open their homes to children of other races.  50 years ago this was unheard of and insane.  Jesus Christ's blood covers all things.

He takes the blame for every racist moment of this oppressed time 50 years ago.  He takes the blame for buying and selling humans based upon their skin color.  He takes the shame and carries it on His back and it dies with Him on the cross.  Jesus Christ was the same King He was 50 years ago, yet today He has made MLK's dreams become reality. 

If you are white, black, brown, purple, yellow or pink, let us celebrate.  Let us celebrate that the King of Kings has changed hearts time after time after time after time... all to bring His people as One with Him.  All to bring glory to Him.  

Thank you, MLK, for pressing into Jesus and fighting for what is right and true and holy.  Thank you for helping to set people like my brother free.  Thank you for your example and thank you for never giving up.  

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IS LOVE REALLY COLORBLIND?

Almost one year ago I laid eyes on a little half Jamaican half Congolese baby boy while he took his first breath.  He had chocolate skin, fluffy curls and the darkest black eyes I had ever seen.  The moment I saw him was a moment like never before.  He was not mine, yet he so was.  The feeling... I cannot describe it.

But in that moment, the first thing that came to my mind was not that he was black.  Throughout our adoption journey, we were presented to at least twenty birthmothers.  All of different races.  Along the way I know that I said things about wanting a chocolate brother.  But deep down inside, it did not matter to me.

It all changed for me when I saw his face.  This chocolate face that was going to be mine.  He was going to get my last name.  He was going to become one of us for all time.  In those moments you realize the true mercy of God and the divine way His hand is in all things.  Overwhelming.  Even to this day I remember the emotions so perfectly.

I will be honest.  I had no idea what I was in for in terms or dealing w/ the public.  None whatsoever.  I had no idea the way it would stretch me and make me think differently.  I just thought that I was adding another brother to my family, black or not.  To be completely honest sometimes it's just plain hard to deal with.  I want everyone to respect my family.  You don't have to agree with it, you don't have to support it, but I want people to respect it.  In the past 11 months I have learned how to deal with people not supporting or even respecting our decision.  It has been incredibly hard for me personally because I am the person that has no care in the world about what anyone thinks about anything I do or any of the choices I make.  I make my decisions and I don't expect people or care for people to agree with it.  But with this?  It's hard to learn how to deal with people not respecting such a beautiful thing.

And don't get me wrong here.  The overflowing amount of love that we have from all of our huge community of amazing friends and even most of the public has been the best feeling in the world.  Yet for some strange reason, the negatives have affected me too much.

I wrote a post before Trey was born about how color doesn't matter.  About how love surpasses the color of your skin.  I take all of that back.

The thing is, color does matter.

It does matter.

"And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place." Acts 17:26

What we often don't realize when we say things like "Love is colorblind!" is that God determined the colors of our skin.  God chose it.  God created every race, every skin color, every human being.  Although at the end of the day we are all human beings, race does matter.  Not in love - race should not determine the kind of love you give or receive -- but in the way we see people through God's eyes.  His love is not colorblind.  His love does not deny His own handiwork in the making of different skin colors.  His love does not ignore it.

You see, God's love covers all races.  God's love covers all people, all skin colors.  When we say "Love is colorblind", we are not loving like God loves.  We are not fully embracing the way the Lord made us all... perfect and in His image.  I ignorantly said this phrase many times.  But that was before I truly saw the way God's hand works in everything.

I have had many conversations with my friend that has black siblings.  She says she notices color more, I ignorantly said I notice it less.  This was just one of the things I adopted when we adopted Trey.  I thought that in order to have a black family member you have to claim the title "colorblind."  I thought you had to not see color anymore.  I thought you had to deny racial diversity and not see any ethnic cultures at all.  I thought we were just all one at the end of the day.

I'm still recovering from that viewpoint from just a few months ago.  However, to this day, there are a few things I know to be true.

Love cannot be colorblind or you will completely miss the mark of seeing God's perfect handiwork through human beings.  It just won't be there.  The moment you claim to be "colorblind" is the moment you forget where God's hand in all of this is.  His love is not colorblind.  It covers all things, yes, but it definitely sees color.

I am learning, day by day.  Having a black brother has opened my eyes to so much.  I hope that you will take the time to study the things you adopt just because other people say it, without giving it much thought yourself, like I did for so long.  It's not worth it.  You'll be missing out on the sovereignty of God.

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MLK DAY 2013

Years ago, my mom read the I Have a Dream speech for school, by the amazing Martin Luther King, Jr.

It was really amazing to me, at that young of an age, to realize that some people really stood up for what they believed in.  I thought it was fantastic that he did all of that, just to set his people free.  I thought it was wonderful, I really really did.  But today, it means so much more.

It means so much more because I have a black brother.

I have a black brother who would not have the chances he was today without MLK's fantastic act of standing up for what is right and true.  He would not be treated the same way today.  I am so grateful for the fact that God stepped in and changed the path our country was going into.

What a fantastic day today is.  To honor such a man.  I pray that one day we can have a day to honor the person who abolishes abortion.  Because I believe God can move mountains.  He moved them for MLK... He can move them again.

Happy MLK day, friends.  Spend it wisely.  And remember, color never matters.

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.""

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