“Silent” or Listening & Processing

My husband and I are one. 

His family is my family and my family is his family. We are one voice and one mind and that is of the Holy Spirit who only speaks what Jesus Christ says. 

I fell in love with Bradley Cole because of who God is in him. His passion for God’s goodness to fill all the earth, to fill every heart and mind for each persons’ brokenness to be healed for each person to believe in their value intrinsic to them as the crowning glory of God’s creation; black, white, yellow, red, brown... whom Jesus Christ died for innocently with no flaws so that each of Us all human beings worthy of death by our actions would be brought into perfect intimate unity in the family of God. I fell In Love with him for that reason in 2009. I’m In Love with him today in 2020 for that reason. For many reasons with the aforementioned as the cornerstone.

Bradley has a book of experiences. He has shared some with me and I have witnessed some and hurt with him as he told me what he endured when I wasn’t there to witness it. I do not have the fear and worry that a mother has for her black son but I have lived with the fear and worry that a woman does with a black friend, boyfriend, fiancé, and husband. It has not consumed me, but daily I feel the "what if’s" like a knife against my back to remind me to rely on our God to keep him safe. (And with the worst drivers in America in South Carolina he has to rely on God to keep me safe. Haha) 

I have stories. Receiving racism on his behalf. (I.e. "your fiancé is black? You will need life insurance.") I’ve collected what people have said to me about the one I’m bound to as One for life. If you care about us, next time you have time to talk to us you’ll ask us about those stories and you won’t try to make sense of them. You’ll share the hurt. That’s a powerful way to show advocacy and empathy. Listen. 

The injustices I’ve witnessed and heard about would flicker into a churning hurting flame in my gut. And there would be the next thought. "What can we do? What do we do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?!" And then time went on. 

We attended a church drive in yesterday with a primarily black leadership and congregation and one of the questions that was asked for a panel of God-fearing black men and women was "What is God saying to you in This Time?"

I have drafts of posts I wanted to post. But I knew what I have to say will do nothing. Today I asked My Savior, "how do We respond? What are You saying in This Time?"

On a human level... My God responds first...

He is moved. 

Matthew 14:14 

"When Jesus landed 

and saw a large crowd, 

he had compassion on them 

and healed their sick."

Matthew 14:14 NIV

The original Greek for the English translated word ‘compassion’ is {splagchnizoma}

1. to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)

This type of compassion was felt in the bowels/the gut and caused ACTION. He was MOVED to DO SOMETHING as sprung up by the FEELING inside His body when He SAW the large crowd. And because The Holy Spirit dwelled in Him He had the wisdom of The Father in the action He took. 

God is moved by the needs of our black Americans. So His people are moved. There is a spectrum. There is a scale of where each individual stands. From -5 to 10. -5 is an overt racist outwardly disrespecting the sanctity of life in black Americans. 0 are those who are ignorant of the pain and injustice that black Americans go through and thus have no empathy to share. 5 are those who are aware of the injustice, but do not fight. They just intellectually agree with wrong and morally right actions of others and if it is right in front of them they’ll speak up and share in emotional empathy. 10 are those who have educated themselves to know their black neighbor and consider their pain and injustice as their own and are taking action or learning how to take action. 

Gods people, do not listen to what just any human being says. Listen to what God is saying of how He is moved by the brokenness in our nation and how to be moved WITH Him. Listen to what God is saying of what to do with these feelings because our emotions into action will not accomplish lasting effects. Our actions rooted in His wisdom will have eternal affects. 

There are many people in our country and in our world that were a -5 but now they’re aware that their actions have consequences because our black American community has raised a voice. They’re now at a -3.

There are many people in our country and the world who were at a 0 and now they are at a 5. They actually feel empathy!

There are many people in our country and the world who were at a 5 and now are at a 7 because they are taking steps to educate themselves and even taking time to listen and share what they have learned. 

There are many people in our country and the world who were at a 9 and are now at a 15 using all the privileges/advantages that they have in this world to write and get backing to enforce laws to bring justice and prevent more injustice. 

GOD IS MOVING ON THE BEHALF of the poor in spirit and for those who mourn! 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Matthew 5:3-4 NIV

You know how people are moving up the scale? The power of God. He is working in the secret places of their hearts! Just like racism was happening in the secret places where there weren’t cameras pointed to catch injustice, He is powerfully working in the secret places of homes and protests and in the waiting room in the hospitals. 

I heard someone dear to me ask, "What are they even protesting?"

To each one they have their own reason, but God is responding to this cry by pouring more of His heart into our nation. To care. To value life more than passively but to the point of action. 

God sees there are leaders and enemies in our country and in the secret places who are trying to take advantage of our broken hearts, bodies and minds through covid-19, through violent expression and media to get what they want out of us. 

God is filled with anger. 

"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!"
Matthew 18:7 NIV

"Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord."
Romans 12:19 NIV

He knows that some of you are so angry and are asking "Why should I trust God if He hasn’t rid my country of hatred yet?! If George Floyd’s Memorial is happening today, what was He doing to prevent this?!"

He has allowed humankind to make their own decisions, but He gave His Son Jesus Christ to be murdered on the cross to say "It is Finished" because He knew that one day the hatred would be finished because of what He did on the cross and we have only to walk in time together to see it come through. He has been working on your behalf to bring you fullness of life in all the secret places that aren’t on Tv or social media and He has not slept one wink! He is on fire passionately fighting for you to experience freedom and fullness of life in Him and to be part of His movement to bring freedom and fullness of life to your neighbors. 

You don’t have to say it back to me but I know that I love you. I am growing in my love for you. Bradley and I are growing in His perfected love for you every day America. 

If the incredible, beautiful and powerful black woman who lead us in prayer yesterday whose prayers I believe could literally move mountains, prayed fervently for President Donald Trump to be MOVED by the Holy Spirit to make righteous decisions out of a loving God-fearing heart and in God’s wisdom ... 

We should join her. With whatever faith you have and can muster up in this time, We should share One Faith Under God Indivisible with Liberty and Justice for All. 

All of our world’s; all of our country’s black human beings matter. We are stronger together.