“Do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” James 2:1

Ever since the brutal events of last Saturday’s rally in Charlottesville, I have been feeling the weight of racial hatred. Then yesterday, my attention was called to a photo from that rally, depicting a man with torch in hand and fire behind his eyes. The face was that of a classmate from high school who I always knew to be so gentle and kind. It’s hard to describe this mixture of feelings as anything but “devastating.”

I do not come from a diverse part of the country. In small-town central Missouri, people are seldom exposed to anything but the familiar. And we become accustomed to the familiar. However, I was fortunate enough to attend a college where about half of my close friends came from diverse backgrounds. It was through those dear friendships that I became aware of just how prevalent racial bias is still today.

I’ve always wanted to believe that as Christians, we rise above. In recent years, racial discrimination has been a dominant issue. Prejudice can run so deep. It sometimes takes a tragedy to make a person see that racism is not just something of our past but exists in our world today. We shouldn’t need a tragedy to open our eyes.

Look to Calvary — there our Lord gave His life for people of every language, race, and nation. The universal scope of His ultimate sacrifice shows His love for EVERY human being.

Today I pray for the downtrodden, the afflicted, and those affected by discrimination. May he grant mercy to all (myself included) if we have fanned the fire of prejudice that He died to put out.