I live in Clinton, MS. For those of you who are familiar with Mississippi geography, you know that it is West of the capital, Jackson; for those of you who are not--well, now you know. After many frustrating years of living near Jackson, I have come to love and appreciate it. The history here is unprecedented and the people are extraordinary. I've been thinking up crazy and irrational plans to get me living there, and I'll tell you why...
In Jackson there is something I like to call the "State Street divide." It is a barrier between the West side of Jackson (the "Black" side) and the East side (the "White" side). For me, it stands as a very physical reminder of the South's history of hatred and oppression, prejudice and ignorance. I look down that street with beat-up houses on the West and newly-renovated ones on the East, and a part of me gets really angry. I think, "Why have we allowed this to happen? Why hasn't this changed?" And another part of me sees the really great things happening on the West side--churches being planted with the intention of being multi-racial and cross-socioeconomic, the "checker-boarding" of the neighborhoods, and the shining faces of kids as we play games and tell them about the love Christ (and we) have for them at a park we hang out at on Wednesday afternoons near my church.
Then, I remember the verses in Ephesians 2 (:11-22, if you are curious) that talks about how Christ in His death on the cross reconciled Jews and Gentiles and made them one. And I think how possible it is for God, who can reconcile a holy people with a heathen people, to bring together people with different skin tones. In verse 14 it says, "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility." So today I am praying for that physical State Street barrier to be destroyed, and rejoicing that He has already provided.
Grace and Peace,
Margaret
