Day
Five:
Hearts of Gratitude
Theme for Friday — Serving
For four days, author and teacher Dr. John Perkins eagerly
and enthusiastically shared wisdom in many areas including
racial reconciliation and forgiveness. What has Dr. Perkins
had to forgive? Plenty. He grew up in dire poverty in Mississippi.
At 17, he fled to California after his older brother was murdered
by a town marshal. After becoming a Christian, he returned
to Mississippi to share the Gospel. Dr. Perkins experienced
harassment, imprisonment, physical beatings and torture. What
was his crime? He was an advocate for Civil Rights.
As he prepared to leave today, many on the Justice Journey
team offered words of gratitude, admiration and encouragement.
Forty years after the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Perkins
says, “This Justice Journey between Salem Baptist and
Willow Creek is the fulfillment of a dream.
“It’s hard for my white brothers and sisters
to understand the woundedness of black people. That’s
what makes reconciliation so hard. One doesn’t want
to walk in that woundedness again. It makes reconciliation
hard, but that’s why this Justice Journey is so important.
It’s about reconciliation. It’s similar to having
a scab on a sore; the scabs have to come off before the wound
can heal. With this trip, we’ve been taking off the
scabs.”
Dr. Perkins was the first person Alvin Bibbs called when
he got the idea for a Justice Journey. “When God laid
the vision for the Justice Journey on my heart, I pushed back
on it,” says Alvin. “I felt the vision was too
much for me. The first person I needed to share it with was
Dr. Perkins. I’ll never forget that he immediately said,
‘Man, that’s it! I’m in. I’ll do whatever
you need me to do.’”
Although he is a renowned teacher and speaker,
Dr. Perkins’ approachability and encouragement made
a major contribution to the tone and atmosphere on the journey.
Alvin adds, “If anyone on this bus has a right to feel
defensive, it’s Dr. Perkins. Yet, his humble heart inspired
everyone. Seeing Christ in him and the hope of glory allows
Dr. Perkins to transcend defensiveness and give hope to us.”
For part of the day, the team changed into work clothes and
served at Dr. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development
in Jackson, Mississippi clearing weeds and mowing and edging
the front lawn. Despite a sudden downpour, some kept on going—umbrellas
in hand.
Another key stop for the day was the Medgar Evers home in
Jackson. Mr. Evers was a leader in the Civil Rights movement
in Mississippi. In 1955, he opened the state National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) office in Jackson.
As a World War II veteran, husband and father, Mr. Evers believed
in doing the right thing. So much so, that he was hunted down
at his own home for his Civil Rights leadership role. In June
of 1963, Mr. Evers was shot in the back as he got out of his
car. We stood in silence looking at his blood stains on his
driveway.
Many are opening up today about the shock felt this week
after learning details about the Civil Rights Movement. Details
they’ve never been exposed to before now. The team is
asking themselves, “Where do I go from here?”
In the words of Dr. Perkins, whatever we do, “. . .
we need to be in the will of God. And the will of God for
your life is to say, ‘Here I am.’ If you do this,
God will use you beyond your expectations.”
The team is beginning to see, with open eyes, the need for
a servant’s attitude toward racial reconciliation.
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