Setting Aside Privilege

Privilege. A weighty word I've seen circling social media extensively these past weeks. A word full of so many implications, producing many questions, inciting conflict and a great deal of confusion. It breaks my heart from both sides of the discussion. As someone who has lived in a Muslim country for 3 years, predominately Black neighborhoods for 6 years, and refugee camps for 7 months, I've had to recognize the extent of my privilege as an American and a as white person!

The greatest example of privilege I can imagine is Jesus- Creator of all things, the embodiment of God in all ways, living in Heaven, all powerful Ruler over all we can fathom. He had more than we can even comprehend, and yet decided to leave it all behind to be born as a helpless baby into a smelly barn with dirty animals, taking on pain, suffering in all ways that we humans do... because He loved us! Because He knew that there was no way that we'd ever be able to reach heaven without His help- He entered in, had compassion when He didn't have to, and through His mercy and grace launched the most absurd Love Story Intervention known. This part of the story is something only God can do- He Is The Only Savior, no one else is called or needed to be anyone's savior... ever!

But let me draw your attention to the story of the Woman at the Well. Jesus, having traveled by foot in the sunniest part of the day, is hot, thirsty, and hungry. What does He do first off: sends His disciples away who could help Him remedy these problems. He sits at this well, making Himself completely dependent for what this lady would offer Him. Who is this lady? A Samaritan- someone Jews don't interact with based on race, and also a man talking to a woman in this setting wasn't common. He violates the cultural taboos, setting aside His privilege and makes Himself needy. Jesus' life is chock full of examples of blatant humility such as this. It's one of His favorite ways of loving others, it would seem.

Now I'm not saying we can even remotely compare anyone to Jesus, but I definitely want my life to be striving to daily be more like Him! I want to chose to enter in to someone else's world, to see life as they do, and to be humble. To let go of what I think I deserve and my rights are for the good of others. Demanding "my rights" often does hurt others- I need to be aware of that every moment of every day. Living in community, especially diverse ones, is messy, hard, uncomfortable, and yet the most rewarding thing I'll EVER be part of until I die. People matter most- whatever the shade of their skin, their country of origin, their past stories, or whether they ever appreciate how I've sought to love them. 

I'm not good at being needy; as I said earlier, I'm a white American- this is synonymous with being self-sufficient and independent. Isn't that what the American Dream is all about? Getting a good education, having a sweet family, in a cute house, and funding it all with my amazing job. We've moved away from our families, and we take care of ourselves without the help of anyone else- just ask someone about their retirement plan or life insurance... you'll see this quickly! But as I scan the Bible, this is not the way of God. He designed us to be needy, dependent on Him and others. (Read Genesis 11 to see God's response to people trying to not 'need' anymore, or when the Israelites tried to collect more than just one day's worth of food in the wilderness) He made us to live in constant connection with Him and with the community around us.

So, what does this have to do with privilege? I think the very best way I can set aside my privilege in my society right now is to need other people. To recognize that those culture has deemed "unprivileged" have something I desperately need- they are rich in so many ways. To realize doing it all by myself is an empty, broken way of doing things. I want to sit down and learn from people that don't look like me. Not about what life is like for them (though I do care greatly about this!), but about how they've suffered for so long with such grace, how to be more patient, how to be a better prayer warrior, about forgiveness, being strong, having compassion for those who've hurt you, and the list goes on and on (I've found them to look more like Jesus than I'll ever hope to become!). I want to be more like them, and the best way to do that is by sitting with them, talking with them, being friends, letting them mentor me in life, and intertwining my life with theirs so that we both need each other. I can't change the color of my skin, but I can and will seek to look more like them!