“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
Sweet little seven year old Jagan flipped open her battered and clearly loved princess coloring book. Excitement coated her face as her hands whipped past the pages, seeking something specific to show me.
She stopped at a page and beamed up at me. I froze, staring down at the meticulously colored scene. Her finger pointed to the colored princesses one after another saying, “Jagan color this!” before turning to me with a serious look and reminding me her name is Jagan.
I nodded numbly and picked up the book. Four princesses colored with coffee brown skin and coal black hair smiled up at me. I shook my head trying to shake off the surprise and thought to myself of course. Of course Jagan, a Malay child of Indian descent, would color her princesses this way.
But this little girl and her coloring book revealed a small vestigial sliver of my own internalized racism. I don’t know if my retelling conveyed it enough but I was shocked—taken aback, confused, deeply surprised—when I first saw her dark skinned princesses.
It revealed that truth that when I think “princess” or maybe even “woman”, my mind immediately adds “white” in front of that. I see the world white—and I’m not necessarily beating myself up over it because both I and my culture is white.
But I am aware. And I am aware that while my culture is white, not everyone who lives in it is.
Rashidat, my beautiful teammate and dear friend, colored with us. In terms of skin, Rashidat has more in common with Jagan than I, given her African American heritage. However, given culture, she has more in common with me.
As I realized what my mind and heart were processing, I turned to Rashidat with the coloring book in my hands. I had tears in my eyes and I’m sure I looked as bewildered as I felt.
“They’re beautiful,” Rashidat said, smiling wide.
Here in our town of Sungai Petani, a majority of the people are either Indian or Malay—giving them dark skin, some even darker than Rashidat. Yet despite this similarity in skin tone, Rashidat has experienced blatant racisms that the white members of our team have not.
Here, her photo is taken more often than ours—once a wedding photographer posed his couple with her blatantly as a prop in the background. Her permission is never asked and apologies are never given.
In a few instances at restaurants, she is served last, workers choosing to serve white members of our squad or team first, brushing off her questions despite everyone else continually being served ahead of her.
And even on our squad, comments are constantly behind made about us as “that crazy group of white people,” effectively excluding Rashidat from this tribe.
For the most part, Ro knows deeply who she is and doesn’t allow Satan a foothold in these issues. Yet still, I’ve watched these little things hurt my friend and attempted to do my best to see her.
I see my teammate standing at the crossroads of culture and race, the world constantly pushing her to choose one path over another, constantly telling her how she should act because of her skin, constantly trying to force her into a box God never ever designed for her.
Rashidat said once that if she had to choose between her “black card” and her “Jesus card”, she wants her Jesus card first and foremost, and yes I so agree.
However, she still lives in her skin and still has to walk through this world as a black woman—something I will never be able to fully understand.
I’m coming to the conclusion that race is a blessing from God to give the world more vibrancy and color (pun intended). As he always does, Satan tries to pervert the good gifts of God into something ugly.
Racism isn’t something limited to black versus white. I’ve seen it rear its head in every country I’ve ministered in. Racism exists between the Cambodian and the Vietnamese; between the tribal people of Thailand and those in cities; here in Malaysia, between the three major groups, Chinese, Malay, and Indian.
If Satan can use something as meaningless as skin color to keep humanity divided, you better believe he’ll use it. Whether it be surprise at dark skinned princesses or blatant refusal to serve a black person, racism is something Christians must be aware of.
We are called to unity in Christ and that means fighting racism and fighting the lies of culture. I don’t want to live in a mindset of American culture, but in one of Kingdom culture—seeking to cultivate and operate in a culture that brings Kingdom and pleases The Lord.
The funny thing about this ‘fighting’ is really, all we need to do is start conversations. That’s the way Jesus did most of his ministry, after all. Attempting to understand another’s perspective brings us closer to unity.
So, church body, I see us standing on a teeter-totter. On one side sits Kingdom culture—the invitation to love recklessly, live freely, and offer grace as we have been offered by God. On the other side sits culture as the world and your geographical location define—prejudices based on race or religion, fear of things that are different, and division masked as protection.
Sure, we can stand in the middle and be balanced and have everything be “safe” and “fine”—but is that really what we want? Is that really what we’re called into?
Church body, I’m ready to tip the scales— to fight for justice one conversation at a time, to proclaim unity in Christ, and to attempt to see with Jesus’ heart. Are you?
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Galatians 5:13-14
Currently: Sungai Petani, Malaysia | 12:40 PM | 89% Funded | You know, most people around the world aren’t that different than you. Start a conversation with someone “different” today.
