Today's Devotional

January 10, 2003

Subject:  Color Me Christ

Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus."

I was surprised this past Christmas when doing some research on the celebration called Kwanzaa.  Most people have come to associate this celebration with African-Americans in this country and now I see why.  However, after looking into this, I'm wondering if most African-Americans know what it's all about.  The Kwanzaa founder articulates that African-Americans are to strive for the "seven-fold path to blackness."  That is they are to "think black, talk black, act black, live black, create black, buy black and vote black."  I guess this then gives you a certain level of "blackness."  As I always say when I'm disgusted by something, "Wuz up with that?"

People talk about "black-pride" and many other cultural things as though there is some inherent greatness in it.  I think it's good to be proud of who you are, but it's not nearly as important as knowing who you are in Christ.  That's where we start.  If we begin anywhere else trying to "know ourselves" or to "make ourselves" then we have failed miserably.  We can do this with our color, with our personality and even with circumstances in our past.  Trying to cull out what makes us who we are should begin with what He made us to be.  After all He is the creator.

The bottom line is that you're going to live your life based on what's most important to you.  If it's your color, then you'll live a black, white, red, brown, yellow or whatever-color-you-are-life.  As the JesusMOB says, "my color is what you see I'm living, so color me Christ."

Carlen