Separate but Equal: In 1890 a new Louisiana law required railroads to provide “equal but separate accommodations for the white, and colored, races.” Outraged, the black community in New Orleans decided to test the rule. On June 7, 1892, Homer Plessy agreed to be arrested for refusing to move from a seat reserved for whites. Judge John H. Ferguson upheld the law, and the case of Plessy v. Ferguson slowly moved up to the Supreme Court. On May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court, with only one dissenting vote, ruled that segregation in America was constitutional. That ruling impacted the lives of black folks throughout the United States e.g. education, workforce, travel, etc.). But I don’t really want to focus on that as it brings up ugly painful memories like Jim Crow laws, etc. If you have interest, do a google search on separate but equal.
More
than 100 years later when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I went on a trip to the SF Zoo with a group
of people from the community. While
playing in one of the children’s areas, I guess I must have stayed too long,
because when I surfaced EVERYONE was gone.
I cannot say for certain how much time elapsed, but clearly the adult
responsible for me was afraid because when we were reunited she gave me a good
old fashioned tongue lashing (in love), minus the cuss words, as tears streamed
down her eyes and she warned me to “never do that again!” What did I do? I got lost or shall I say separated from my group.
In
1986 I was forced to make one of the (then) most difficult decisions of my
life. Separate myself from my husband and father of my children or stay
and die. During that time, you didn’t
just leave a man in the COGIC. We were
taught to “stay there, baby, pray and the Lord will deliver you.” Now, if you’re a COGIC person, hold on a
minute. It is not my intention to be
condescending; that was (and in some cases still is) the advice given to women
in “troubled” marriages. I didn’t think
I had a biblical “justification” for divorcing, but I was desperate for peace,
so I made the agonizing decision to separate from my husband after about 5.5
years of marriage. My hope was that he would
get it together so we could live happily ever after. To keep it ‘one-hunid’, I would have settled for just living ‘ever after’. I would have sacrificed the happily part so my
children could grow up in a healthy environment raised by their biological parents. Why would I say that? I was raised with my parents and I wanted the
same for my children. I didn’t want to
be a single parent though I would have done it; nor did I want them to be
raised by a step-father based on my perceptions of what that looked like. However, my children and I were in an
unhealthy toxic environment (mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually)
so when the time was right, I left and ultimately that marriage ended in
divorce once I discovered I had just cause.
Fast
forward to 2011: I saw the proverbial
writing on the wall. I knew it was
coming, I even warned my staff and while I was on vacation, they (my employer) made
their move. In hindsight, it was like a relationship
from a cheating spouse/partner. You know
what I mean; the unnecessary lies and crazy moves (because of their guilt); or
what about the ultimate blindside: you come home to discover the locks have
been changed and your name has been removed from the shared accounts. Yes, that thing right there! That’s exactly
what it felt like just prior to getting my separation
papers from the last organization I worked for.
I made a vow to never work for anyone else again as a W-2 employee.
That’s
a great Segway into my primary thought for today, the fact of separation. Now if you adamantly don’t believe in God and
you’re not even open to hearing dialogue about the possibility of his
existence, nothing in this blog moving forward will matter to you, so you can
stop. However, if you are curious, even
just a little, I challenge you to read the rest of it and ponder my written
thoughts. Deal? Okay, let’s go deeper.
I
realize this is a very unpopular topic, but a lack of popularity does not
negate the truth, which is sin negatively impacts our relationship with God because
sin separates us from him.
· What is sin? The biblical definition is found in 1 John
3:4 (Common English Bible): every person who practices sin commits an
act of rebellion, and sin is rebellion.
Rebellion is defined as opposition to one in authority or dominance. The King James Version says: Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
law. In short, sin is breaking God’s
law.
· Where did sin come
from? From man’s disobedience (breaking
God’s Law, rebellion) What man? Adam,
the first man created by God. Genesis 2:9; And out of the ground made the
Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food;
the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of
good and evil. And, Genesis 2:17 But of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Sin was inherited by all of mankind as a
result of Adam’s disobedience (rebellion, breaking God’s law). Of course if you believe you evolved from a
monkey, you have completely rejected everything I said. But again, I challenge you to read on.
Read my
blog See, What Had Happened Was to get caught up.
Yes, I know this is the 21st
Century, if it feels good, do it, right?
Ummmmm, the fact remains that God takes sin so seriously that he separates
himself from it. The definition of the
word separation is: the action or state of moving or being moved apart. Don't think that the Lord is too weak to
save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! It is because of your sins that he doesn't
hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship
him. You are guilty of lying, violence,
and murder. Isaiah 59:1-3 (GNT). Verses 1-2 speak for themselves but let me
expound on verse 3 the last sentence.
Tania
Not Tanya nugget: In scripture we can
tell the importance of a thing, person, etc. based on the order of reference. Notice that lying precedes violence and
murder. It is no mystery today that very
little value is placed on lying. Some have
even taken the liberty of categorizing lies (e.g. white, black, little, big,
etc.) and then there is the justification of lying for: benefits, to save or
protect something/someone. Listen,
listen, listen Linda, God does not make a differentiation or categorize lies
nor sin. As far as he is concerned, lying
rates right up there with murder. Let’s sit right there for a minute and take
about 10 deep breaths before we go any further.
God
is so serious that he will press mute when we pray. It's
useless to bring your offerings. I am disgusted with the smell of the incense
you burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals, your Sabbaths, and your
religious gatherings; they are all corrupted by your sins. When you lift your
hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will
not listen, for your hands are
covered with blood. Isaiah 1:13, 15
(GNT). I can hear some of you now: the Spirit always talks to me, when I prayed
God answered my prayer; etc. First of all, which spirit are you talking about,
because there are many, including the spirit of deception? Secondly, God’s word is very clear on his
stance against sin and its impact on his relationship with us. For him to ignore this fact would void the
purpose of sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to help us (we will cover that in
another blog). As sweet, innocent, nice,
helpful as you are, if sin is present in your life he will not hear you. John
9:31Good News Translation (GNT): We know
that God does not listen to sinners; he does listen to people who respect him
and do what he wants them to do. I
know it may seem confusing especially when you received the help you prayed for
or something miraculous happened in your life.
To keep it “one-hunid”, it wasn’t you, boo, it was a result of others praying
for you (intercessory prayer), including perfect strangers you will never meet:
· Romans 10:1 (ASV): Brethren, my heart’s desire and my
supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved.
· 2 Timothy 1:1-6
(GNT) First of all, then, I urge that
petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all
people;
Finally,
separation is defined as: the action or
state of moving or being moved apart. I
listed several forms of separation above to give you a mental image of various
types of separation to ultimately help you understand our state when we are
separated from God. I know I used this
text above, but I wanted to expound on it and a few additional verses: 2 Timothy 1:1-6 (GNT) First of all, then, I urge that petitions,
prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people; 2 for kings and all others who are in
authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward
God and with proper conduct. 3 This is good and it pleases God our
Savior, 4 who
wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one who
brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself to redeem the whole human
race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved. As
believers, we are instructed to pray for everyone: believers, unbelievers, even
our enemies (aka haters). There are
Believers all over the world praying for peace, healing, jobs, restoration,
housing, food, transportation, businesses, etc. to meet the needs of people, to
bless and protect the sick, afflicted, incarcerated, despondent, down hearted,
oppressed, abused, our lawmakers, police officers, armed forces, you name it,
and including the things we don’t know what to ask for. So
then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you
will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect. James 5:16 (Good News Translation). Our prayers have an effect on the world that
you may never realize or comprehend.
Finally,
separation is defined as: the action or
state of moving or being moved apart. I
listed several forms of separation above to give you a mental image of various
types of separation to ultimately help you understand our state when we are
separated from God. I know I used this
text above, but I wanted to expound on it and a few additional verses: 2 Timothy 1:1-6 (GNT) First of all, then, I urge that petitions,
prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people; 2 for kings and all others who are in
authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward
God and with proper conduct. 3 This is good and it pleases God our
Savior, 4 who
wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one who
brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself to redeem the whole human
race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved. As
believers, we are instructed to pray for everyone: believers, unbelievers, even
our enemies (aka haters). There are
Believers all over the world praying for peace, healing, jobs, restoration,
housing, food, transportation, businesses, etc. to meet the needs of people, to
bless and protect the sick, afflicted, incarcerated, despondent, down hearted,
oppressed, abused, our lawmakers, police officers, armed forces, you name it,
and including the things we don’t know what to ask for. So
then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you
will be healed. The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect. James 5:16 (Good News Translation). Our prayers have an effect on the world that
you may never realize or comprehend.
Selah
Tania
Not Tanya
Servant
Author Teacher
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