Hindsight and a New Perspective

“Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!”

I recently had a wonderful conversation with my cousin. She is actually much more than a cousin. She is a sister, friend and prophetess. I rarely get to speak to her but when I do each ‘very long because it’s been too long’ conversation is full of laughter, revelation and God. This conversation was no exception.

It had me thinking back to my college days. Late in my undergraduate studies I took my general education requirement for history. I chose History 101 . . . United States History. The class was quite life changing because of the instructor. He was a youngish,White man. I do not know where or how he arrived at his approach to the subject of US History. I just know that I had never heard about many of the things that he taught us. His textbooks where not filled with the typical “facts” and figures. He was the truth. He informed us about the not so neat and tidy history of the founding fathers and things that most talking heads and politicians shy away from when telling of the deeds and experiences of our yet great country.

I wondered if this man would have been so free to expose truth if he were himself full of prejudice and hatred. I doubt it. Exposing truth required him to be self-exposing in a lot of ways. Yet, he did not teach in a hateful or accusatory manner. Neither was he sorrowful or ashamed. He simply and compassionately shared facts.

He seemed sound and happy as a person. He did not seem to really need us to affirm him or to believe. In fact he encouraged us to study and research for ourselves. He really impressed me as a teacher and as a man. He seemed selfless to me.

In my conversation with my cousin-sister-friend, amongst other things we talked about our collective and separate church experiences. Now, in hindsight, we see some things differently. When we were in the midst of certain teachers and leaders we did not properly guard ourselves and others against wrong doing at the hands of those leaders. And we are able now with a new perspective of growth, maturity, and experiences see where everything said and done in the name of God was not actually of Him. Some of what we experienced in church was simply born of the idiosyncrasies of controlling, ill taught, under-informed, unlearned, angry, hurt, abused, wounded, undelivered men and women.

Because it was church we excused it instead of calling them on it. We would not have tolerated it from the principal or teachers at our children’s schools – or even the clerk at the supermarket. We would have called them on it and expected corrective action. But in church we often hide poor character, poor behavior and poor leadership behind Jesus’ name. My, what disregard and misuse of such a powerful name.

Fast forward, now we have generations of saints growing under the regimes of horrible leaders. And what many of them wait for is their chance to be that aloof First Lady or that overbearing and wild-eyed Pastor so they can be the one ‘in charge.’ Now listen, before you go through the roof -- certainly I am not talking about all spiritual leaders. God has MANY great and wonderful men and women of God who lovingly and rightly exercise their God call to the service of the Lord. May I just say that goes without saying? But I have got to say I have seen far too few of them and way too many of the other kind of leaders. And the other kinds are leaving a trail of wounded, hurt saints. And many of those are carrying on the legacy by hurting others. It is quite literally, a mess.

Some do not like when I write like this but I must. I have made a commitment to God and to myself not to be that kind of a leader. I am asking you to do a real self-assessment and make sure that you are not being driving my hurt, anger, resentment, or anything other than the Spirit of God. That enlightened teacher had, in my imagination, dealt with any demons of the possible racists thoughts thrust upon him throughout his life. He was well able to weather the criticism that he garnered from colleagues and students (oh, please know that some of my peers were HOT at him for telling it). He was free to just abide in his vocation and to teach the truth.

Saints, let us evolve and become enlightened as people that we no longer try to assassinate one another in the pulpit and in the pew, and then have the audacity to call it God. I am so tired of people being unwilling to come back to church because they are tired of it. I know we can say, “They should press anyway!” No, we should stop it.  I have seen too many people broken by the mouths and actions of people called to heal and repair the breach. I’m just saying.

In Service to the Master,
Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell