Yesterday afternoon I drove down to one of the local TV stations, (KTRV) and filmed a quick interview with Derrick Boles to talk about #HopeGivers. He arrived just a smidge after our scheduled time and, as always, his presence filled the room with the gentle strength that he carries with him wherever he goes. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed and still glistened a bit due to this week’s tragic events that continue to hack away at our humanity on so many levels.
We sat at this very desk while the camera guys set up the equipment and talked in somber tones about the state of our union, the safety of black communities, the valuable work of law enforcement, and the triangulation of hashtags (#BlackLivesMatter – #PoliceLivesMatter – #AllLivesMatter) that seem to pit all of us aligned with our own camps against each other aligned with their camps — as if we as humans cannot possibly manage to be concurrently grateful for the protection that our police officers provide for us while acknowledging systemic bias and holding the very officers we need and rely upon to high standards as they carry out their duties. I believe that most citizens of this country of any race and ethnicity are of the opinion that those two notions are not mutually exclusive.
Derrick had asked me to send him a short list of talking points before the interview to guide our discussion. But you know? We never got to that list. The conversation we had off camera spilled out into our interview, and he jumped right into wanting to know how HOPE, which I speak about all the time, could be tangibly seen in the current events of this world — right now. And in that moment — in front of the world — that man upped my game.
You see, it’s not enough for me to write books and talk about Hope in a general way and that we should all “sit with one another in our suffering”. That’s true, but it’s too broad. It’s not specific enough for all that we face in these tumultuous times. Derrick, in just a few questions, immediately took me to a whole new level in terms of Hope and how I talk and write about it and how I live it out. I walked into that studio as one kind of thinker and doer, and I walked out a different girl.
Another bit of wisdom that Derrick talked about that I have latched onto the way morning glories intertwine themselves to a garden fence is this idea of being “stakeholders” for one another, and here is what we came up with together:
Tweet ThisIf we are to change our world, we can do no less.
Trevor Noah gave a great example of how his eyes were opened to the way life is for a different group than his own: women. In this video about the two gentlemen who were killed in separate incidents this week by police, Mr. Noah makes the point that he never realized the level of sexual harassment women endure when merely walking down the street. He simply didn’t know. He’s a guy. This is not his world. But when he watched the video where she’d received over 100 completely unsolicited suggestive comments, he became a stakeholder for her and for all women. He became vested in the protection of women from sexual harassment.
This is what #HopeGivers must do. This is what it TANGIBLY MEANS to prefer one another. This is what it TANGIBLY MEANS to become less so that Christ may become more. This is what it TANGIBLY MEANS to give up our lives so that we might save our lives.
We must be stakeholders in the lives of any other human or groups of humans who are oppressed, impoverished, abused, disenfranchised, or marginalized in any way. Perhaps you are of the opinion that all are equal and treated equally in this country of ours; that all of us — 100% of us without exception — have been afforded opportunity in equal amounts. If you are of that persuasion, may I implore you to become a stakeholder in another person’s life that is completely and entirely different than your own? May I implore you to consider the possibility that those in your camp, the politicians, and the media may not have it right? May I implore you to allow the actual people IN those groups that are different than yours to inform your decision making about what you believe and how you will conduct yourself as a human?
I am asking all white people to
become stakeholders in the lives of all black people.
Notice I did not ask all white people to become black people or vice versa.
I am asking all civilians to become stakeholders in the lives of all those in law enforcement.
Notice I did not ask all civilians to be law enforcement officers or vice versa.
I am asking all men to become stakeholders in the lives of all women.
Notice I did not ask all men to become women or vice versa.
I am asking all adults to become stakeholders in the lives of all children.
Notice I did not ask all adults to become children or vice versa.
I am asking all heterosexual people to become stakeholders in the lives of all homosexual people.
Notice I did not ask all straight people to be gay or vice versa.
I am asking all people who identify as the gender they were physically born into to become stakeholders in the lives of all transgendered people.
Notice I did not ask people to become the opposite gender or transgendered people to remain the gender they were physically born.
I am asking all those who were raised in love and safety to become stakeholders in the lives of all those who were abused, abandoned, and neglected.
Notice I did not ask for all those who were raised in love and safety to become abused, abandoned, or neglected or vice versa.
I am asking all Christians to become stakeholders in the lives of all Muslims.
Notice I did not ask Christians to convert to Islam, nor did I ask Muslims to convert to Christianity.
I am asking all those who are healthy to become stakeholders in the lives of all those who are sick.
Notice I did not ask healthy people to become sick or vice versa.
I am asking all those who are free to become stakeholders in the lives of all those who are imprisoned.
Notice I did not ask people who are free to become imprisoned or vice versa.
I am asking all American citizens to become stakeholders in the lives of all people in America who are not citizens.
Notice I did not ask Americans to relinquish their citizenship or ask immigrants, legal or illegal, to give up theirs.
I am asking all young people to become stakeholders in the lives of all elderly people.
Notice I did not ask young people to become old or old people to become young.
I am asking all rich people to become stakeholders in the lives of all poor people.
Notice I did not ask rich people to give up their wealth, nor did I ask poor people to start making tons of money.
I am asking all those who have benefited from the privilege of equity of access and equity of opportunity to become stakeholders in the lives of all those who do not benefit from the same.
Notice I did not ask those in a particular place of privilege to alter that status in any way.
As I write this, I am well aware that there are those who are reading this post right now who may be resistant to becoming a stakeholder for some of these groups of human beings. In fact, there are those who have already spoken out against entire groups of people on social media — plenty of blaming and shaming to go around — and it seems that most of those remarks seem to be fueled by religious and/or political beliefs or an unfortunate combination of both. Sadly much of our rhetoric on social media is. But I’m not interested in what the Republicans or the Democrats dictate for us to believe about each other. And I’m even less interested in what religion admonishes us to do. I’m only interested in what Christ tells us to do.
So…
I am asking all humans on this planet to become stakeholders in the lives of all humans — the way Christ was.
I am asking all humans to become personally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually vested in the humanity of all humans.
The way Christ IS .
I’m going to be thinking in these next few weeks about #TangibleHope and writing about tangible ways in which we can be #HopeGivers on this earth — beyond what I’ve been thinking and writing about. Obviously it’s time to step up our game and be agents of cultural change. People of my particular brand of faith call it Kingdom Living. And for those of you who are praying for the families of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling and for the officers in Dallas who lost their lives in the line of duty, I hope those prayers are only this:
Lord, tell me what to do to fix this. Even if it means I must change the way I think, the way I talk about these issues, and the way I act toward other people who are different than I am, I am willing to do whatever it takes. Here I am, Lord. Send me.
You pray that.
And then write me and tell me what He says for you to do.
I also want to personally thank Derrick Boles for sharing his insight and his platform with me, and I want to share my my thoughts about Boles Leadership Academy:
Daisy Rain Martin is an author, speaker, advocate, and educator as well as a founding member of The Flying M-Inklings Writing Group. She lives with her husband, Sean-Martin, in the beautiful state of Idaho and teaches English and Literature during the school year to the best 7th graders the world over. Daisy spends her summers writing, speaking, researching, creating, gardening, and canning.
Hope Givers: Hope is Here, is the sequel, of sorts, to her comedic, spiritual memoir, Juxtaposed: Finding Sanctuary on the Outside, which was Christopher Matthews #1 top selling book in 2012. She has also written a free e-book for anyone who has or is currently being sexually abused called, If It’s Happened to You.
Please follow her weekly blog, SATURDAISIES, which addresses a plethora of current issues including child advocacy, all things hilarious, and matters of the heart. She would love for you to join the Rainy Dais Community by friending her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.