Judging a Book by its Cover (Kind of).

So it has been a while since I wrote something. I am sure nobody was too concerned. This one will be short and sweet.

I have interesting taste in music, I’d say. I grew up listening to rap, which turned out to be a great experience for me. Add in I spent most of that time on the upper class white Mecca of the South, St. Simons Island, and you’d quickly figure out I got some interesting looks (many from my parents). Now this may seem strange but I think listening to that type of music, in addition to playing basketball and football, was a HUGE blessing because it led me to become friends with the black kids because I had more in common with them than the white kids around me. If you know me, and odds are if you are reading this you do, you probably are aware that I don’t really pay much attention to the skin pigmentation of the people I am around. Granted I know if someone is black/white/other but it doesn’t register as a negative or positive for me, like it does for many people. You can miss out on some great things when you stereotype…

Example:

Here are some lyrics from an amazing song by a Christian band:

Hallelujah, I’ve been saved by grace,
Hallelujah, saved by grace.
and this is why, I’ve been saved,
by His grace.

I bet looking at that you are probably thinking you’d enjoy that song (if you enjoy 104.7 The Fish or the Adult Contemporary Christian radio station near you). It sounds like something you might sing in church. Maybe it is from a hymn even.

Nope. (Feel free to skip to 1:48ish in if time is of the essence or the music is unpalatable for you)

I routinely get interesting looks from people who see me getting out of my car or pull up next to me at a light (on the driver’s side of my car because the passenger side window motor has been broken for over 2 years) and hear the music I am listening to. As a matter of fact I have been told I was listening to “devil music” by a person who overheard it coming from my car. Interesting point, I was in a church parking lot and was there to volunteer to help with an event at the church…Hmmm.

Look, I make snap judgements about people by seeing what they look like or other meaningless things all the time. I am not perfect in this regard, but I am making strides to break that habit. At least when it happens now I tell myself what I am doing and that stereotyping someone is NOT what I should be doing. Has this burned me in the past? Absolutely. Have I done something nice for someone that a “normal” person might not have interacted with out of fear/assumptions? Yep. But I have also had the same people be extremely gracious when I reject the stereotype and act as Christ would (or at least closer to how He would than how I would have in the past).

Remember who Jesus hung out with? Not a bunch of preppy upper class choir angels…And if they are good enough for Him, clearly they are good enough for me.

Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.”                                         Matthew 7:12 The Message//Remix

I feel like they told me that in Kindergarten…glad it is finally sticking.

Agape [αγάπη] and God bless.

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