Reflections on Privilege

priv · i · lege | priv(ə)lij

noun

a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group

I have actually been thinking about privilege a lot lately. It's not lost on me that I have experienced a tremendous amount of privilege in my life. By virtue of the family I was born into, where and when and how I grew up, as well as the opportunities I have been given. It is all absolutely a privilege, and it is all absolutely grace from God. 

I feel like the Holy Spirit was whispering to my heart about it when the Pandemic started, and life as we had known it ground to a halt. Someone posted a quote that really got me thinking:

"We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat."

We are all facing the hardships of a global pandemic, and yet, we do not all have the same advantages {i.e. privileges} in the fight. I have the ability to make decisions for my family that will keep us pretty safe from this virus, all with fairly limited inconveniences. Is it hard to be stuck at home for months on end? Is it hard to have to take extra precautions because of my suppressed immune system? Of course. But can both me and my husband work from home with {for now} secure jobs? Do we still have access to the things we need, like shelter, groceries, and healthcare? Do we still have access to the things that we don't actually need but are really helpful during this time, like internet, and Amazon delivery? Yes. So I would say I have a pretty nice boat to ride out this storm.

As debates have erupted over the best next steps {when/how to reopen, masks or no masks, economy and public health safety}, I had to take a step back and realize that it's easy to have an opinion and support one particular method, when I can sit safely in my boat. I had to step back and realize that it's not as easy and simple for everyone to stay home. Not everyone can work from home. Not everyone still has a job. Not everyone's boat is in as good a shape as mine is right now.

And so, while I certainly have an opinion on what I think is the best course of action, I have to realize that I don't have all of the information, and I don't actually know what's best for every single person. So I can seek the Lord's wisdom and work with others to help find meaningful solutions. I can love and serve my neighbors, whose boats might be battered and/or non-existent right now. I can show grace and kindness to my neighbors who have differing opinions, knowing that we are all just trying our best to survive this mess. And I can rest in the knowledge that my God is the One who ultimately controls the storm.

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But there's another type of privilege that has been on my heart for a few years now. The national discourse over race relations has escalated so much in the past few years, or perhaps it's something of which I have become more aware. Either way, I have been trying to listen, learn, and seek understanding in the conversation. And I have so much more to learn, so many more ways to grow.

As I watch the news, my heart is breaking. For the senseless murder of an unarmed black man {George Floyd} by a white police officer. For the angry outcry of my black brothers and sisters who are trying so hard to get someone, ANYONE to listen. For the hurt and pain that runs deep within a community, a hurt and pain that I have not and probably will not ever experience. While I don't personally believe that violence and retaliation is the answer, I am trying really hard right now to understand it. And I know there are so many considerations...not all police officers are bad, not all of the protestors are violent, two wrongs don't make a right, etc. But I don't want to get lost in the weeds. I don't want to miss the real conversation and change that needs to happen in this country. The conversation that surrounds racism and how it has been allowed to continue in our society. How there are systems in place that grant me opportunities that are not granted to others, simply because of the differing colors of our skin.

I don't have all the answers. To be honest, I don't know if I have any answers. But I do know that sin is ugly. In all forms. I know that Satan loves nothing better than to divide and destroy and kill.  I know that we are all created in God's image, unique and valued and loved by a Creator who desires to be in an intimate relationship with us. I know that my God is good and kind and just. I know that my God grieves over the devaluing and loss of life. I know my God specializes in healing and redemption. I know that I have to set my privilege and preconceived ideas aside so I can actually listen and learn. And I know that I am called to love my neighbor, speak up for those who have no voice, and to seek God's glory in every word and action. 

So it's not enough for me to just recognize my privilege. I have to use it to serve and love those around me. Not only because it's the right thing to do, but because it is what the Lord requires of me. 

"He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?"

- Micah 6:8