A Thankful Heart

When I think about the word privilege, many thoughts come to mind. I feel very privileged to live in a country where I can freely worship God, express my true opinions, have a say in who is elected to lead our country, defend myself, and live in a house that has heat during the cold Winter months ahead. There are many resources that I have access to because of where I live and the people in my life are so encouraging to me. This thought process leads me to become thankful for everything in my life that I so easily take for granted and the simple things that mean the most to me. As the holiday season approaches us and colder weather comes our way, I am learning to have an attitude of gratefulness every single day.
I would like to share a conversation that I had with someone recently about the idea of privilege in another country. This individual is from the country of Malaysia; he talked about how the people back home have this idea of white people possessing power, having money, prestige, education, and that they should be honored when they come into the country. It was interesting to talk to him a little bit about his perception of lighter skin folks since his coming to America a few months ago. In all honesty, he admitted that he had to work on stereotyping people he met and rely on God to take away any preconceived ideas he grew up with about a certain race of people. There was also a sense I gathered when talking with him, that he was so thankful for the opportunity he has now to come to America and get an education. Despite the challenges he faced to get to where he is today, this individual appreciates American culture and learning new things every day. This conversation was great because I was able to learn from someone who is much different from me. I was able to put myself in his shoes and understand a little bit more of how he views the world. At the same time, I am still trying to process all that we talked about. It was surprising to me that most of an entire country views white people as respectable and almost places their high value on the color of their skin. This is so unsettling to me because it is opposite of what Scripture teaches from the beginning to the end; that following Christ means becoming a servant and valuing others more than ourselves. Specifically, 1 Corinthians 9:19 says, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” I want my legacy to be one of a servant, even to the point of becoming a slave so that other people might know Jesus and learn to put their trust in Him always. Since speaking with the young Malaysian man about moving to America, I have decided that I want to be someone who breaks the stereotypes he talked about and find my identity in Christ alone.
It is important to realize that the concept of privilege is not terrible at all, but we should be careful what we do with it. I listened to a message given by Ravi Zacharias this week and was reminded of how abundantly blessed I am to know a God who died for my sins. This God is also alive today, personal, filled with grace, beautiful, loving, forgiving, powerful, and the only one true God that exists. I also feel privileged to know a God who is always good and always perfect on such a deep level. It is my choice to believe, but I also count that as a gain and consider it an honor to walk through this life with God. I always appreciate the work Ravi is doing around the globe today, travelling into other countries and speaking the truth of the Gospel to people who have never heard it before. This individual is accepted into a vast array of religious circles and into many countries because he is gentle in how He comes off when bringing the Gospel truths. The result: most of the time people listen to what he has to say and consider what a relationship with Jesus would be like. I think that he is a real role model in different ways, specifically in how he lives his life and shares his beliefs.
For some reason, it seems like privilege is challenging to talk about and discuss with others. Even while I am typing this blog post, part of me is worried about how people who read this will interpret these words and what their takeaway will be. Maybe I accidentally offended someone without realizing it or am completely wrong in my conclusions. Please understand that I am simply trying to be as real with you as possible as I try to fully wrap my mind around this idea of privilege in our world today. There are so many opinions about this topic, we will find them especially if “privilege” is typed into the search bar on our laptop and we take some time to read the results that come up. It seems to me that politics and controversy are linked into many people’s opinions about privilege right now. The whole other concept of “white privilege” is an extremely hot topic right now and I have discussed it in many of my social work classes last year. Some are offended that this is even an issue being discussed, others are wanting to almost raise awareness that privilege has gotten out of control in our society. Without wandering too far into that territory, I will just say that I think privilege is something that needs to be talked about and considered in the context of sociology. We should recognize that privilege plays a part in every community; even if it’s in the realm of income, social status, class, heritage, economy, education, or something related to one of those concepts.
I have considered much of what we discussed in class to be very insightful, especially when it comes to social status, privilege, and other topics that relate to Most of the conversations seemed to be healthy among class members and I think that is step one. The first step is to talk about it! Let’s be opened to hearing other people’s points of view, maybe listen intently to their personal story and learn from it. Personally, I really enjoy when someone comes through my checkout line at work and tells me all about their day or their life. I appreciate the honesty that individuals can have when sharing about themselves, it is refreshing to see that again in a society that is so focused on appearances that we rarely focus on anything else. It is beautiful how we each have a different story to tell, one that is completely different from anyone else on the plant. That to me is so amazing. I had a teacher in middle school who would always remind her students how they are all different and unique in a good way. That simple message is one that we should take to heart as adults too.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving in a few weeks, this is a perfect time to reflect on all that we have and things that we can be thankful for in our lives. I also recognize the privilege that I’ve been given and can decide to use it constructively, if that makes sense. The resources that I have access to can allow me to help and give to others more. Maybe we can start talking about these ideas more with our friends, coworkers, in the church, in our classes, and with our family. Colossians 3:15–17 says it this way, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” There are many other verses scattered throughout Scripture that speak to a lifestyle of thankfulness. This is so important because if we become so focused on gratitude that our complaints become less, that is a positive thing. My family used to tell me that I never complained about anything growing up, that I was always easygoing with whatever came my way. I want to go back to being thankful instead of complaining about what I don’t think is going right in my life. So, I want to encourage you to live the same kind of thankful lifestyle and challenge you to come up with a whole list of things that you are thankful for right now. I will do the same.

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