prejudice uncovered is uncomfortable 209/366

yesterday's events uncovered two things

1. I am a sinner. I have prejudices. I say things I shouldn't.
Yesterday I made a comment to my neighbors that I have made and heard others say numerous times, always "jokingly", but with one of "those" looks when talking about certain people, based on their dress or behavior. (I am ashamed to write this and wonder how I ever thought it was okay.) "They came out of one those deep hollers". 
I have never said nor heard that statement as a compliment. 
I have friends that live in hollers. I love them dearly and I am never talking about them. 
I only use that comment about strangers. 
After I said it yesterday my neighbor replied "we live in a holler..." 
I was immediately embarrassed. I backtracked and talked fast about who knows what to try and cover my behind. I owe them an apology. I should have gone over as soon as I realized it this morning, but I didn't. I had things on my to do list and I was still trying to convince myself I'd not done anything wrong. But the longer the day went, the more convicted I became. 
I thought I was all about the solution of loving and respecting and valuing all people, but comments like that one I made show me clearly, I am part of the problem. 
I'll be visiting Shana and her husband Tuesday.

2. What you see isn't always what is happening. 
The assumption by many who watched the live videos of the protest and march in Grayson yesterday shamed and scolded the community of Grayson for their words and behavior. Turns out that most of the ugliness was not from people of our community. 
I'm thankful to know that.

Josh Schmidt is the pastor at First Baptist Church in Grayson. The event unfolded almost from the steps of his church. He and his associate braved the crowd armed with and offering cold bottles of water, prayer and counsel to everyone they came into contact with. This morning I saw this post he made yesterday: 

Friends,

As someone who has been at the protest passing out water, praying with people and sharing Jesus for the last 5 hours, let me say that 9 out of 10 ugly things that happened today were from people out of town.

The Graysonites I saw were cops protecting everyone and a few individuals protecting their businesses.

Pray for our city.

this is a response from someone who used to live here but has moved away

It is sad that the ugliness said makes the town of Grayson look so bad, but honestly, why didn’t more Graysonites step up and support??? By doing nothing and saying the protestors were wrong, they essentially were saying black lives do not matter!! I don’t get it. I wish more people demonstrated love like you did and actually DO something positive to show Christ’s love vs just bash the people who were there to say that black lives matter— and they do!!!!

Josh's response:

 I understand buddy. I’m guessing it had to do with the hundreds and hundreds of semi-automatic rifles held by people not from Grayson. It would intimidate the best of us.

some takeaways:

1. I am not the only one intimidated by guns, especially big guns

2. being in the middle is hard

3. it is easy to be an armchair quarterback

4. people of peace rarely get as much attention as rabble rousers

5. perspective makes a difference in what/how you see, evaluate and respond