Dear Kaleid Ladies,
Good morning! How are you? We pray you are well on this Wednesday morning.
Today our Be the Bridge 101 group, where we have been grappling with what it means to be white in light of racial brokenness in our country, comes to a close. It’s been a hard but powerful six weeks. We are grateful to those of you who have shared the time and made the space to be together in a worthy but uncomfortable conversation.
One of the things that has hit all of us, it seems, is the “bigness” (very articulate word, right?) of the systems, narratives, soft spots, and blind spots in the race conversation, even (and often especially) from a white person’s vantage point. Entering the story intentionally can feel like we’ve willingly walked into an unending hallway of perspective shifting. Attention grabbing but disorienting.
The story of race in the United States precedes us by generations and supersedes us by its systemic nature. As we mentioned last week, the story is all around us, and so we seek to tend to our own God-given narratives, mindful that how each of us lives matters to the big story.
And so, in our “what’s next?” questioning, we have come back to this phrase, attributed to St. Augustine:
Solvitur Ambulando - It Is Solved by Walking
How do you find walking?
Some of us find that we tend toward sitting rather than walking, and so we slowly disconnect. Some of us find that we tend toward running rather than walking, and so we easily tire. Some of us find that we tend toward boredom on walks, and so we add distractions.
To choose to walk, to choose to be a pilgrim, is to take part in a spiritual discipline that has shaped centuries of Jesus-followers. A pilgrimage is a journey toward something holy, and it is best done one step at a time alongside trustworthy companions. Walking is not sexy, but it’s soul-shaping.
And so we acknowledge the beauty of the walk that has begun. We admit that we get distracted, lazy, weary, agitated, and cranky. We are encouraged by one another in the journey. We are hopeful because we know enough to trust the process. And we are certain that we are walking toward something holy and good.
At Kaleid, we are in a season of discerning how to continue in the journey of Seeing Others, as it pertains to race, together. We will look forward to sharing those opportunities with you in the coming weeks.
For today, we pray a simple blessing from Psalm 116:9 over each one of us. “I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Peace, friends.
May it be so in your story, on this day.
Gratefully,
The Kaleid Team
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