Bigotry is a sore subject with me.  I hate it.  I hate people who call others names.  I hate others who say they walk with Christ and think they are better than the next person.  We are all familiar with the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me.”  Words are like bullets when hurled at an individual and can actually end up doing more harm than if they were really being hit with a bullet.  At least the bullet has a beginning and an end, but words can hang in the air, in a heart, in a nation forever, for good or for bad.

Bigotry, I have come to learn over time, is not just a matter of hating one another because of the color of someone’s skin.  Bigotry is more than a black or white issue.  Bigotry is so much more than the color of the face of a man or a woman; it lies deep within the spirit.  Whether you know it or not, it comes from hell and Satan.

The Lord has allowed me to hear (among many other things) bigotry spill forth from a human’s heart.  At first glance, it can be hidden pretty well but upon a closer look, it will always come out because it is evil and doesn’t know when to be quiet.  Now, to be certain, some just come right on out and tell you how they feel regarding bigotry.  They will say, “It’s a free country and you can’t stop me from stating my point of view on any matter.”  To be sure, we do live in a free nation (so far) and are able to express ourselves.  However, our freedom of expression, while certainly a privilege, is abused by many to carry out prejudices against others.  This abuse demonstrates lack of tolerance that stems from feelings that are hidden deep within.  The lack of tolerance and hatred some have toward others is “inherited.”  We learn much of our behavior from those we are around and from things we have grown up with as well.  We learn by example, sometimes not understanding the root basis of why we feel the way we do.  Many times people act out of pure ignorance, not out of personal knowledge about something or someone.

I have been around some “Christians” who allow their true colors to show and I am able to see what exactly is in their hearts.  They have made statements about the black and white issue by saying they would not live beside someone who was not of their own race.  And, “as long as they keep to themselves”…that’s a favorite of mine and it makes my blood boil.  There have been times that if the Holy Spirit hadn’t restrained me, I would have probably strangled an individual for some of the comments they have made.

Understand this:  WE ALL are made in the image of God but Satan is here and is gaining strength to make certain that his time is thoroughly used to full advantage by separating us from one another.  He already knows that if we would come together as one, there wouldn’t be anything we couldn’t do as a nation.  So far, he’s winning.

Ultimately, the choice has to be up to us.  God has given us instructions on how to live a full, purposed, meaningful life, but we have to learn that we have to do this God’s way, not our own.  Most take Christ and sprinkle Him on their life instead of eating the flesh and blood of the only one who can help us all. 

WE close our eyes to injustice thinking of “me and mine,” when this nation really is going to hell in a handbasket.  It is so out of control now that many, being overwhelmed, feel that their one voice won’t change anything, but I can tell you that I will die trying to make as much of this earth I can a better place when I’m gone.  Christ is the SAVIOR and He can help us.  As a matter of fact, He is the only one who can help me and you overcome feelings of prejudice but alas, you have to turn to Him (someone you can’t see) for help.  He is willing, are you? 

I want to leave you with this.  God is the only JUDGE we have.  Unless God ordains an individual to deliver HIS word, then we have to take our hate and concerns to Him and let HIM help deliver us and bring judgment. 

I have seen hate and bigotry destroy people.  We herald Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest, honest Presidents we have ever had.  Will we let all of his fighting for rights for slaves go down the drain?  Will we allow Martin Luther King’s life to be in vain?  WE are a sorry lot of people when we start placing others in classes and judging them for their lot in life.  Woe be unto us. 

When you experience feelings of bigotry, no matter what it concerns, know that it is coming from the devil and you need to go to God and repent.  Love covers a multitude of sins….Love as you have been loved and give as you have been given to.

And one more thing…..if you dog and curse an individual while calling yourself a Christian, are you certain God is listening to your prayers?

It is not the color of a man that is evil; it is the spirit within him.

                                                                                       Molly