The Race-Wise FamilyExemplo

A Spiritual Work

What does it mean to be race-wise? Being a race-wise family means asking God for help in unpacking racial issues and seeking his direction to know how to identify and combat racism in all its overt and subtle forms.

This holistic spiritual work requires both orthodoxy (right thinking) and orthopraxy (right living). In other words, the goal of a race-wise family is not simply to grow in intellec­tual understanding of the Bible’s discussions about race and culture but rather to pursue a biblical vision of human flourish­ing in the home, the community, and the nation.

We have a unique calling to disciple our children, and we have to take ownership of teaching our kids about race from a biblical perspective. Our so­ciety is swimming in cul­tural myths and fallacies, and our children are con­suming messages without even realizing it. If they’re not being informed and equipped in the home, you can be sure their views are forming elsewhere.

That doesn’t mean if we intentionally pursue greater racial understanding and advocacy, everything will go smoothly. You’ll find yourself in situa­tions where you don’t have the best words to discuss issues of race with your kids, or you might even feel like you failed to model a biblical response to a race-related incident. Making mistakes and learning from them is part of the process.

This opportunity is for us parents to make changes that can have a lasting impact on us, our children, and, by extension, our communities, churches, and our nation. It might feel impossi­ble to alter the views and actions of our society such that racial issues disappear, but we can begin with small steps in our homes as we raise our children to treat all people equally and respect­fully.

By reading this devotional, you take the first step toward the biblical vision of true healing, peace, and flourishing for people of all ethnicities. As we read in Revelation 5:9, Jesus’s death and Resurrection were for “every tribe and language and people and nation.” What does it look like to live out that truth?

Lord, help me better understand this spiritual work you call me to this week. What do I need to know from your Word about race and racism? Help me see what might be standing in the way of what you want me to see. Amen.