Disarming Prejudice

December. I thought it was a unique name. Before our church group went to inner city Memphis, Tennessee, I had never met a girl with that name. That night our group joined forces with a church to share the gospel in their neighborhood and to have a Vacation Bible School. Their members didn’t share the same color “tent” as we did. They were black, and we were white. 

I was worried about being in the inner city at night. But the church was bright inside, not just from its lights, but from the light that shone from the people’s faces. They greeted us with joy and hospitality. At 13 years old or so, I didn’t have too many friends who had a different skin color. The congregation showed me we were alike — we all loved God and wanted people to know Him. The fears and stereotypes that stemmed from news reports were disarmed that night. 

Prejudice is an ugly monster that can be fueled by fear, misunderstandings, ignorance, and generational perspectives. This monster still lives in our country. And it is deadly.

Even if prejudice is not something you struggle with, consider praying these strategies for the American communities that still reel from prejudice’s hurtful vendettas. Respect, honor and justice start with each of us choosing God’s ways of thinking, feeling and acting.

5 Strategies for Disarming Prejudice

1.  Get to know someone who has a different skin color.

Meeting December and having friends who don’t share my skin color have shown me how much we have in common. It has taught me that we think alike and we want the same things out of life. The more we know people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the more we discover that souls don’t have a skin color.

2.  Disarm lies with God’s truth—He created all souls with equal value and dignity.

We all are made in the image of Almighty God (Genesis 1:26CloseGenesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings* in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). We all have personalities, feelings, dreams, choices and responsibilities. We are all of the human race. God knew each of us before we were born and He fashioned us Himself (Psalms 139:13-16ClosePsalms 139:13-16 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body  and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,  as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.Every moment was laid out  before a single day had passed. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). When it comes to human beings, “less than” is not in God’s vocabulary.

3.  Embrace compassion instead of meanness.

The Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable didn’t let cultural differences keep him from helping someone who desperately needed it (Luke 10:25-37CloseLuke 10:25-37 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus replied, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" The man answered, "`You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' And, `Love your neighbor as yourself.'"* "Right!" Jesus told him. "Do this and you will live!" The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant* walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,* telling him, `Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.' "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy."  Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). Although two religious leaders passed by a man who had been beaten and was bleeding on the side of the road, the Samaritan stopped. And he was the one who was always the object of prejudice! When we need empathy, we don’t want our skin color to get in the way of compassion.

4.  Look for ways to build bridges.

Simple acts of kindness can show that we have God’s love for one another and we belong to Him (John 13:35CloseJohn 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). I love seeing pictures on social media of policemen spending time with children (black or white) and laughing with them. Those kids are likely to grow up seeing policemen as trustworthy. Acts of love like these can bridge a gulf of mistrust and build sound relationships.

5.  When you have reason to be afraid, put your trust in God and do the good you know to do.

Maybe the area in which we live is subject to prejudice, fear and violence. In those places, we can ask God for help and protection as we go about our daily lives, and do the good He has told us in His Word to do. We can see people (really see them), care about them, show respect, pray, give, use wisdom and caution and pray some more. We can join forces with other people who are like-minded to cover our city with prayer and good deeds.

People are people. They laugh, cry, hurt and have victories. We all need God, His Word and His love. What part will you have in healing divides and disarming prejudice where you are? Will you join me in covering our country with prayer and living for God so that prejudice finds no home in any of our hearts? People are precious. With wisdom and love, we can live like they are.

Copyright © 2017 by Katy Kauffman, Breaking the Chains: Strategies for Overcoming Spiritual Bondage (Buford, Georgia: Lighthouse Bible Studies, 2017), 66-69. Adapted for CBN.com. Used with permission.