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基督, the epitome of a servant leader, humbled himself to the depths of human 疼痛 in his death on the cross. 他的死是终极的 私刑. 尽管如此，他还是原谅了我们所有人. He gave us an example of how we are to respond.
私刑, mob killings in which the victim is denied humane treatment or justice, loom over the African-American consciousness on a perpetual basis, ignited by the undercurrent of an institutionalized evil interwoven within the fabric of our society. As we watch the protesters (and rioters), many are seeking for ways to help restore peace, and for ways to transform humanity. History has proven that lasting change requires a unified outcry and shift in consciousness. These transitions are always facilitated by servant leaders. We are called, each of us, to take up our cross and follow 基督 in servanthood. For such a time as this, we’ve come into the Kingdom of God, but how do we begin? 和耶稣一样, we humble ourselves before God and then walk in his ways of 宽恕 and 悔改. They are spiritual tools for a change in the 心 and mind of man.
借着神的恩典, those who’ve perpetuated this engrained evil can gain a godly sorrow that’ll lead to 悔改. The afflicted, by the same grace of God, can extend 宽恕. 刘易斯B. 斯米德，在他的书里 Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Deserve, 调用条件a 宽恕危机. He outlines how those 冒犯了 come to this 宽恕危机. One comes to this crisis only by the convergence of a deep, grievous offense encountering a 心 already tortured by un宽恕. 澄清一下, releasing the offender from the need for you to exercise punishment, 希望他们受到伤害, or the repeated cycle of reliving the offense with fresh hurt, 疼痛, and venom does not absolve the wrong doer from consequent punishment. 宽恕释放 冒犯了 from the punishing torture of holding on to an offense. It releases God to continue to forgive us as well.
宽恕 is a silent spiritual act that is not recordable. 只有 冒犯了 and God can have certainty that it truly took place in the 心. 宽恕, 说Smedes, 有颜色和味道, the 冒犯了 and the offender who haven’t forgiven themselves know when it has taken place. Both offenders and 冒犯了 are free to live a life free from the lethal poisonous venom of un宽恕.
宽恕 however, like the stages of change, is a continuous act. 宽恕 may need to be repeated multiple times over the course of time. Understanding the offender or why they may have 冒犯了 is not the same as 宽恕. No, rather, 宽恕 demands recognition that the offense was grievously hurtful. It demands one to deal with the 疼痛 and anger and then releasing the offender from your judgment and vengeance for one’s own sake, regardless of the offender’s reaction 被原谅. 宽恕 cannot be coerced or demanded it can only be extended by the 冒犯了. It is a gift born from the brokenness that can only be given from the 心 of the broken one. 宽恕是一种转变. It is a gift to the 冒犯了 and a gift to the world. 宽恕是我所能做的。 冒犯了 人值得.
Lament and sorrow over our wrong deeds leads to recognizable 悔改— The exercise of actions that denotes we have changed. Repentance is demonstrable proof that there has been a change of 心. 忏悔是一种解脱。 活跃的 turning away from our previous behavior, turning into a new direction of action.
The aforementioned principles are applicable to the eradication of racism in America and beyond. They are the building blocks for true transformational healing. 塔莎·莫里森的书， 做桥梁，是辉煌的. She systematically takes the reader through the history of how she came to racial healing advocacy, developing a posture of 相互谦虚, facing the truth about America’s racial atrocities and subsequent divide. Ms. Morrison talks of developing a language of empathy by 活跃的, non-defensive listening that validates the other’s perspective.
She helps us by designing liturgy for lament, 忏悔, 宽恕, 悔改, and healing – that is not a cheaply won grace. 做桥梁 是一个引物, a guide to forming intentionally and pro活跃的ly authentic, mutual relationships that center around true koinonia. Committing to a path for reciprocal healing requires exercising true-telling, 相互谦虚, and submitting to the leadership of African-Americans and other people of color as guides through the experience of racism. Ms. Morrison gives a clear and concise blueprint, a doable starting place for transformation.
The beginning of any journey starts with one step. Be a servant leader and humbly be the change we all want to see.
