Race Relations, Part 1

Part 1 of a series...

The picture here is of two eight-year-old boys. On the left is Kevin Barrios of Guatemala City, Guatemala; on the right is my son, Aidan O'Donnell, of Van Wert, Ohio. Aidan and Kevin met in June 2008.  a

I wasn't there for the initial meeting in June. Aidan went with his mother and grandmother to Guatemala to visit his little brother, Brenainn, whom we were in the process of adopting at the time.  After Carol, Carrie and Aidan got off the plane and got settled in the hotel, they made arrangements to meet-up with the foster family through the in-country staff of our agency, Families Through International Adoption. Soon thereafter Kevin arrived with Sylvia, his mother, Vladimir, his father, and his older sister and brother (Carolina and Vladimir) and little Brenainn (or "Manuelito"--"little Manuel"-- as they called him).  Carrie had arranged for the whole group to visit the nearby Zoo in Guatemala City with the help of our friend and translator, Claudia. 

Upon arriving at the zoo, I am told, though they could not understand a word the other said, Aidan and Kevin were like brothers from the get-go. Quickly imaginary swords emerged and these two eight-year-olds were Jedi warriors. Then they were playing tag. Then they were target throwing pine cones. All the while, again, barely a word the other said was understood.  

As you can see from the picture, we got the two boys together again in August 2008 when the whole O'Donnell clan arrived for the pick-up trip. We invited Kevin's family to spend a few days with us at the Lutheran Center in Antigua, Guatemala. Kevin, Carolina and Sylvia were able to come along, and Kevin and Aidan picked-up right where they had left off. Within five minutes they were throwing imaginary spears, fighting off enemies, and getting their pants dirty from wrestling on the lawn. Gradually Kevin learned a few English words and Aidan learned a few Spanish words. They had a great time together, got in a little trouble together, ate and played and learned together.

Look at the picture. Kevin's got a much better tan than Aidan.That didn't bother either of them. In fact, indications are that they didn't even think of it. Isn't that wonderful!

As a Christian, I am so TIRED of the race issue. It is genetically and theologically irrelevant. Yet, here I am writing about it, because in this world it still does. I long for the day, pray for the day, in church and civic life, that like Kevin and Aidan we can interact with one another without thought to our different shades. Wouln't it be great, in the civic and ecclesial realms, if race simply didn't matter?

This is, of course, a heavenly longing, a longing that truly can only be fulfilled in Christ:

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

⁹ After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹ And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹² saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴ I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.They have washed their robes and ^lmade them white in the blood of the Lamb.

     ¹⁵     “Therefore they are before the throne of God,

and serve him day and night in his temple;

and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

     ¹⁶    They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them,

nor any scorching heat.

     ¹⁷     For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of living water,

          and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 

 --Revelation 7.7.9-17 (ESV)

Lord, thank you for that marvelous trip to Guatemala, and--in the play of these two young boys--a glimpse of the glorious unity of Christ's Kingdom.