School was out today for Martin Luther King observance. My youngest may not know why he was out but he was glad to be home. He also gets a break on Wednesday when he has early release from school. He does like school but only in proper doses. My guess is that most kids may not know all of the reasons behind the three day weekend. Their emotion is also geared more toward just being out. I can barely remember the assassination of King but there is a little something in my memory. My journey in matters of race began early in my school years. First and second grade school was before integration. Not sure that I gave it much thought after that. We all just went to school together.

This is not to say there were not problems from time to time. I recall some conflict during those years probably rooted in racial tension. We did avoid some of the ugly incidents of other schools or towns. Some places in the south still have real issues with race. It seems like some of those areas still live in the past before civil rights. Don't get me wrong. There is no doubt in my mind that my personal struggles with prejudice continue. Pride would tell me that my outlook is more developed but it will also disguise any sin that remains.

We grew up with basically two ethnic groups. Our kids today live among a very diverse mix. My school actually has more Hispanics than African Americans. One can only hope that this generation gains a better idea on how to live with different people. Racism may or may not be healed by time. Odds are very good that moving past this will take real effort. Educators say that learning is the key to dealing with this evil. People who deal with social issues say it will take experiments to show us how wrong is this behavior. Government tells us that we need to redistribute money for all to have their opportunity. Time is thus far not on the side of any of the above.

My answer is of course going to be spiritual in nature. It will be specifically Christian in orientation. Forgiveness is a good place to start. This means admitting our hangups when it comes to people who are different. We may need God's help to overcome our tendency toward this sin. People are hard enough to love without adding extra obstacles to the process. Starting one person at a time is probably best for us. Saying that you care about all people without dealing with specifics is unhealthy if not untrue. We can only try to be God's people to everyone who crosses our path. One person at a time is His method for dealing with anyone no matter their background. When we experience His peace then we will be finally able to give it away to others.

Bro. Trey