The thing about people is that we are all complicated, and we all have a story. I think sometimes in conversations around race, and especially when we begin to enter the conversation about politics, it is easy to forget just how complex and complicated each one of us are. It takes much less effort to reduce someone to a talking point or a stereotype, than to really lean in, listen, and understand the human in front of us.
But, of course, the thing about people is that we are all complicated, and we all have a story.
Dr. Terri Jett told her story to our “Faith and the Ballot Box” class last week. In my interview with her, she spoke of growing up in a family that helped start a socially engaged church, and as she described how that impacted her, I couldn’t help but think of my own story, which was very different. And as someone who grew up with the very clear message that faith and politics (and really anything remotely controversial) didn’t mix, my faith of origin wasn’t the thing that compelled me to engage in political systems.
We all have a story and those stories have the potential to impact others.
And, the interesting thing is that my own story and own engagement only began to change shape because of hearing the stories of others. As a white woman who grew up in the suburbs of Indianapolis, stories that were very different than mine didn’t readily present themselves. And if we’re being honest, my lack of exposure to those stories created a fairly apathetic life when it came to faith and justice and civic engagement.
I’m grateful that doors opened for me to know and love people who were very different from me. While working at a Puerto Rican church in Chicago, I heard real-life stories of police brutality...and it made things complicated.
While at Fuller Theological Seminary, I participated in a Cultural Spiritual Formation Group, where my only job was to listen and learn from people who looked nothing like me...and all that listening made things complicated.
Living in Northwest Pasadena, getting to know single moms and immigrant neighbors and having students in my youth group who were experiencing homelessness...these relationships made things complicated.
We’re shaped by our stories and the stories we encounter. And as I learned from and loved people who were very different from me, as my theology and worldview became messy and complicated...and my story started to shift. I began paying attention to what was going on around me on the news and in the political world, and I started asking different questions. My faith became more important than it ever had been, because if I was actually going to pastor people and live out the things I said I believed, then apathy and the temptation of a neat and tidy, very uncomplicated life, weren’t really options for me anymore.
Experiencing new stories and watching my own story shift, well...it was complicated. But it was also good and holy, and God was in the middle of the whole thing. And, I know- an election season might seem like a strange time to explore your faith and your story and the stories of others. It SURELY is complicated.
But, maybe that’s the point. Maybe this is the time to hear some new stories and let yours be shaped in turn. Maybe this is the time for your life to tell the story of faith lived out- shaping others in ways you might not be able to dream up quite yet.
Our stories and our lives are so very complicated...and they matter so much. How will your story shape your anti-racism journey and the voting season ahead?
Take a moment to listen to Dr. Terri Jet’s Story:
https://vimeo.com/460219744/0c7076d022
Terri Jett Interview from St. Luke's United Methodist on Vimeo.
About Mindie: This young mother of two considers caffeine one of her primary food groups. She passionately shares her love of coffee with our young adults and desires to see this generation thrive in their faith. It's just that simple.