Reconciliation begins with ourselves. It begins with a pure heart, a heart that is able to see God in others.
- Mother Teresa-
The past few months I have journeyed with a some girls who live in the Edgehill neighborhood of Nashville. Edgehill is a small community that consists very dramatically of two sides of the street. On one side of the street you will find wealthy middle class families, who live in recently renovated houses and drive nice cars. On the other side of the street you find groups of families from all over the world including ( Somalia, Kenya, Kurtish folks, & Latin American Immigrants) just to name a few. Their housing consists of your typical government housing set up… brick buildings lumped together, grass and a few parks in the middle. The girls I work with live on this side of the street.
Starting on day one of my fist encounter with these young ladies a deep seeded anger and dislike has taken place between the differing types of girls. There is anger towards different religious beliefs, anger toward different family units, anger toward body type, anger toward income level, anger toward rumors spread, and anger toward boy friend stealing. Typical high school drama mixed in with issues even the United Nations can't solve.
At first the mission of bringing these girls together in community seemed hopeless. Every time one step was taken forward, five more were taken backwards. Jealousy and hate spewed from their lips easily. But has much as jealousy and hate spewed, even more hurt and lack of self worth was taken in. Teenage girls have the world against them it often seems…from the media and television, bullies at school, brokenness at home, and disrespect of boys… the last thing they need is the hurt from each other.
I felt lost as I sought out advice on how to bring community and love to our after school program. It was not until a wise friend shared with me his experience growing up in post Apartheid South Africa that I began to some what recognize what needed to take place in our space. This friend described to me the ugly racism that had stemmed from this country for so long and that the way the began to put pieces back together was forgiveness. In hearing him speak with passion and truth I began to see that in one small word lay the answer to our community.
After all God begs us to return to his feet confess and allow him to breath into us new life…but we can not attain this new life with out first accepting, and recognizing our need for forgiveness.
So in that thought we began to offer times to grant the girls who desired to share their hurt. For them to have a place to speak openly about the ways that some one had wronged them, also allowing for the girls doing the wronging to be forgiven. Each girl did their fair share of both sharing and being forgiven… their vulnerability and depth taught me the beauty of a pure heart.
Community has formed. Love has been shared. Souls have been encouraged. New life has been breathed.
Our girls recently came together to prepare a meal. Our Somalian sisters showed us how to cook a traditional Somalian dish called a Sambusa. ( Usually eaten as a celebration after Ramadan)
Every girl took turns chopping, stirring, rolling, and stuffing. No nudge was given by me or any other volunteer… they came together and they cooked a meal!
While watching them joke, and laugh, cook, sing and dance. God allowed me to see just how far these young women have come. A picture of reconciliation in front of my very eyes.
The book of Isaiah often comes to mind when praying for these girls of all different races and religions, I often get confused on how to love them well. I worry that I am not speaking of Jesus. I worry that there is more that I can do. I get confused on what it means to be Jesus to all. But at the end of the night as I lay my head on my pillow I must hold strong to the verse in Isaiah 43:
"O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
He has called them all, He loves them all, and He shines through them all.
Lord,
Thank you for being a God who loves us, each of us dearly. For being a God who desires to reconcile all things. For being a God who brings joy. Let us forgive as greatly as we we receive forgiveness. Let us love as greatly as we are loved by you. You are good…all things that are good.
Amen
