Stepping Out of Privilege, Out of Injustice, Into Grace
Savvy Saturdays - 6/6/20
(Photo by munshots on Unsplash)
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!
As I shared in my Devotions update, I made a commitment to myself sometime in 2019 to take the bible chapter by chapter in the New Testament, and I finished it this past Friday! 🙌
It’s been good having that goal and been hard at times to stick with it (and needing to give grace), but I’m glad to have gone through that! Now for the Old testament… 😅
I’ve also been baking some more!
Last weekend, I attempted to try and create croissants. Unfortunately, my plans failed, as I realized how much time making croissants take (about 8-12 hours). A process requiring love, the moment I recognized I had finished the dough at 8 PM and still had 6-8 more hours to go, I had to pivot.
Since the dough was still sufficient to make regular bread, I set my oven to 450° degrees, took my egg + milk coating (which gives croissants the glaze), and slathered it onto some creatively chopped dough.
For this batch, half was covered in sugar for the sweet-toothed. (pictured below)
These lightly sugared breadsticks were surprisingly good! Dangerously easy to consume, my roommates and I consumed quite a few of these before we realized Quarantine-50 was just over the horizon 😯
The other half of that batch I salted and covered in cheese, baked to a crisp, and topped them with bacon strips! These turned out almost as good as the bread that Asian bakeries produced. Though the bread was way crunchier, the cheese and bacon brought out the college dirty late-night snack vibes, and I think I definitely will be making more of these in the future. 😋
With the help of one of my roommates, we also made sugar-coated “donut holes” (pictured on the left), and mini bread loaves (on the right).
I learned a lot about creativity whilst figuring out how to use up all the dough. (rest in peace the burnt messes created 😅)
Anyways, this past week has been humbling, as I’ve been learning how to be more educated regarding #blacklivesmatter and figuring out how to take action against social injustice after the death of George Floyd.
As an Asian American, unfortunately, I learned I have an unspoken privilege that my black friends do not have. Whilst prayer-biking in downtown Austin on Tuesday, I was in front of the Austin city hall praying when I saw 5 white police officers appear across the street and walk toward my direction.
(photo by @1ntelligentdesign)
Though I felt nervous with that many cops marching nearby, I found that even though I was wearing a black mask and shifted my hands from a crossed arm position into my pocket (like I was up to no good), the police barely glanced at me as they carried on with their duty.
The thought crossed my mind:
How different would the story be if instead, I was black?
I can only shudder at the overwhelming amount of fear one may have. The heart-stopping thoughts my fellow black brothers and sisters have:
“I’m going to die”
“These moments are my last”.
As I continue to learn through social media, personal stories, and direct callouts from my black and African American friends, my heart breaks even more as I hear stories and burdens carried daily:
A 30+-year-old coworker shares how he can’t forget the feeling of cold steel handcuffs when he was 11. The cops arresting him because he seemed “shifty” near a grocery store, and ironically needing to handcuff him with the smallest cuffs because he was so wiry and lanky.
Another coworker shares how he doesn’t wear hoodies, doesn’t place his hands in his pockets, and doesn’t bring empty bags into stores. And when joining the only black Eagle scout troop, he was taught a lesson on “what to do when the police stop you”.
A black mother shares her sorrow that her 16-year-old kid’s dreadlocks cause him to be bullied at school, just because he likes rappers and wants to become one. And when he got his first car, instead of the color black, it had to be white with a pink flower behind the dashboard so police would be convinced he meant no harm.
Finally, a co-worker shares that amidst the recent issues of George Floyd, having to balance work, while reliving the seemingly healed wounds of systematic injustice, the events that bring about awareness of #blacklivesmatter are usually hosted by black people, and she broke down crying because of her plea for the sharing of the burden.
These stories brought me to tears and a much-needed light over the hurt and issues experienced, and I have mad respect for my black brothers and sisters in the community.
And I can only hope to add a voice of support as I take proactive change. Not only as an Asian American, but also as a Christian.
Just as Jesus took action and stepped out of His privilege in order to serve and love us, I recognize we as Christians need to address our privilege and step out of it in order to look “to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-11).
As I see the protests calling for change and justice, my heart yearns for something greater than justice. It longs for mercy.
As we step out of our privilege, God allows us not only to seek out justice and look to the interests of others but also to live out His heart of grace.
The truth is, “Hurt people hurt people”.
And I recognize that without grace, the pattern of hurt will only repeat. Without heart change from grace, the instant change will not bring long-lasting change.
So for me, as I continue to learn how to step out of my privilege, I hope that God will continue to burden my heart against injustice and give me a heart of grace that aims for change in the long run.
Thanks for checking in on this update. I don’t speak as someone who claims to finally know everything, and in fact, am still learning. 😅
With that, here is some tips/resources I’ve gathered:
If you’re Caucasian, look at these Anti-racism resources.
If you’re Asian American, this podcast explores how we can better advocate for them. Also, here’s how to explain BLM to Asian Parents.
In general, check-in on your black and African American friends. Listening to their stories, being available for them, and lifting them up in prayer goes a long way!
Also, don’t send resources or ask your black friends to educate you. Though it may seem well-intentioned, it actually is offensive and is insensitive.
Go to allies or do research via Google and social media to educate on BLM. Instagram helped me a lot as my friends shared resources via stories on how to approach #blacklivesmatter - whether in general or specifically for Asian Americans.
Anyways thanks for being willing to read and learn!
Please stay safe if you decide to protest and support black friends with your voice, find time to rest amidst all the learning, and I'll see y'all in the next update!
Weekly Collections
Faith
“You've got to get a relationship with God right before you can ever get a relationship with a guy or girl right.”
I’ve been watching this relationship series by Ben Stuart called “Single, Dating, Engaged, and Marriage”, and it’s been very eye-opening.
Though I’m not in any of the latter stages of life, this series is very relatable to the current generation of Millenials and Gen Z and he weaves stories along with God’s Word very well. Hopefully, this series will give much-needed insight and perspective for the current stage of life God has placed you in, and prepare for the future stages God has in store for y’all!
Entrepreneurship
You’ll Never Hear A Natural Leader Ask This One Question
“Confidence and certainty are two of the most attractive traits in leaders.
People tend, magnetically, to follow someone who says with authority, “We need to go there!” They may well follow that person off a cliff, but the point is that they’ll readily enough go along for the ride.
That person could be considered a natural leader—someone with confidence and certainty in abundance, which they wield like a scepter. They emerge from the womb asking that doctors adjust the room temperature and the lighting, then go on to micromanage their parents and any others in their orbit.
Along the way, there’s one question these sorts of leaders never tend to ask: “Am I doing this right?”
Productivity
“The age-old generalization nobody is perfect is humbling advice to even the best of us. In times of need, it’s a gentle reminder that we’re not perfect. That we’re flawed. That we make mistakes. That we fail. And, that we’re Human. And that, in some beautiful way, makes us imperfectly perfect.
Do you, like many others, struggle with accepting the imperfections in your life? Do you want to learn how to better deal with it? You’re not alone. Here, you’re going to find out how to make peace with your imperfections so you can start to ‘see’ and accept yourself for just the way you are.” - (Being Imperfectly Perfect: Making Peace with Imperfections)
“When we're able to accept our own imperfections we're more generous in accepting them in others.”
Mental Model
“Thought experiments can be defined as “devices of the imagination used to investigate the nature of things.”
Many disciplines, such as philosophy and physics, make use of thought experiments to examine what can be known. In doing so, they can open up new avenues for inquiry and exploration.
Thought experiments are powerful because they help us learn from our mistakes and avoid future ones. They let us take on the impossible, evaluate the potential consequences of our actions, and re-examine history to make better decisions. They can help us both figure out what we really want, and the best way to get there.”
Verse of the Week
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice”
—Proverbs 12:15
Challenging Quote
"Prayer makes a godly man, and puts within him the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying."
— E.M. Bounds