Last night John and I got home from our Indian (because most of the people are from India and I like India) Bible study. Culturally, Indians are the easiest friends to make, in my experience. We were at Sherri and Eppie's house. Sherri's parents came for a visit. I don't remember saying five words to either of them the whole time, but there is a warmth that can't be denied. The kind of warmth that would cause her parents to stand at the door and watch us drive away with our rascals to make sure we were sent off in the proper way. I love that.
So, (I don't think I'm suppose to start a paragraph with that word) John and I were sitting on the couch after the kids were in bed, even Keane was done calling out to us. We were watching a program on T.v., definitely the kind that you stumble upon at 11:00 pm. It was about African Americans in N.Y. buried in obscure places because it wasn't socially accepted to....well, ACCEPT them. It got me thinking and I said to John, "You know, back then, it would have been socially 'wrong' for us to get married?" He just nodded his head. "That ridiculous!" I shouted the kind of 11 pm shout, hoping to alleviate the pain in his eyes. He forced a smile at my meager efforts. I often wonder what goes through his mind when this topic comes up and then I stop myself. Too painful to take on.
Now, Americans are not the deepest people. We are actually known for our shallowness. For example "How's it going?" Sound familiar? Yeah, we don't care how it is really going, we say that as a form of "hello", and if someone actually responds, it kind of catches us off guard. Word of advise, say "hello" in another country if you don't want an answer and for pity's sake, do not say (I fall into this trap often) "Let's meet up!" and never follow through. Just a little FYI. I never would have learned even this simple thing, if it hadn't been for John. The list goes on and on. Marrying him has so broadened my world that I wouldn't want to attempt to describe it for fear I would minimize it. Yet, when I think that at one time it was culturally not acceptable to marry him because of the color of his skin I'm either really angry or deeply saddened- it's an unfamiliar emotion.
There are two good reasons for believers to be against this sort of bigotry, Adam and Eve. Do the math. We ALL call them Mom and Dad, but that's not what this post is about. We can KNOW something to be true, and not know it in our hearts. We still look with our eyes but we often don't see. I'm hoping that the unseen orphans in India can somehow benefit from the Temple Restored project. Maybe beautifully dark, brothers and sisters can be treated like God's children should be treated. Not obscure, fully human created in God's image, not hidden any longer behind ridiculous lines.
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