For weeks I desired leading a small group bible study for the older girls that come to our care point. My team brainstormed what we wanted to talk about, how raw or real we would go. The Swazi culture can come across as a quite confusing culture. Partly conservative and private, also highly sexualized and women are constantly being looked down upon. We laid out three different studies—The way Jesus viewed women, Our identity in Him, and Purity.
The study never seemed to work out. We always got picked up right when the girls were finally out of school or just never seemed to have the right amount of time.
I guess Jesus knew there was only one lesson they needed to hear. And it happened in our last week.
It was exam week for many girls and some were already off for summer break depending on which grade, which was fantastic for spending more time with them. We had decided identity was the best place to start. Almost every Swazi thought only white people were from America. As if our white skin represents wealth, an easy life, happiness.
About twenty minutes before we gathered the older girls I walked into the building at the care point where a few older girls were already sitting. And you know what they were talking about? Skin color and beauty. It was so perfect how God aligned that time. The girls told me about the many things people do to make their skin paler in Swaziland—bleaching. They bleach their own skin just to not look as dark. They told me my skin was beautiful. I told them their skin was beautiful. I told them most white people want to be darker. We all agreed no one is ever content with themselves—the way God made us to be.
Mykayla and I rallied all the older girls (14 and up) into the room. We started off with the game Never Have I Ever—big hit. We laughed too much and the room hopefully felt a little safer for them.
We had a group discussion about God creating us and making us in His image. We read scripture and talked about what that looks like, when a girl asked a simple question. She said, quietly, “Why did God make me black?”
This question struck me at first. Because He’s God. Because you are beautiful. But to her and all of those girls, black did not mean beautiful.
I opened up my bible to Song of Songs and had the sweetest time sharing with them about Solomons wife. We first read some of the sweet and endearing words shared about her. And then I dropped the bomb. She. Was. Black. (Song of Songs 1:5-6, “Dark am I yet lovely, . . .dark like the tents of Kedar. .” the word Kedar comes from the root word kaadar which means “black skinned”. )
So here are, these girls hearing about a character in the Bible that looked like them. A character that was called most beautiful, flawless one, altogether lovely.
I am not aware of the impact our conversation might have had on them, but I pray they felt loved, cherished, and completely known by Jesus in that moment.
So why did God make me white? Why did God make those girls black?
I think its because God is an artist. And He certainly knows how to show His art in all different forms.
