Am I afraid or do I have a lack of desire?

It has been a painful few weeks for all of us. For me, I continue to have conversations with many about the ongoing issues our country is facing. I admit finding the right words are difficult because I am not always sure what to say. I have been talking this week with people from different backgrounds who are hurt and others who are trying to understand what they should do.

My mind goes back to a conversation I had last week where I was challenged with the reality that in order to be conveners of networks, we must be prepared to engage in all types of dialogue, one of which is the pain of racism.

I also received a video of a man, a youth leader, expressing his pain as he listened to his five-year-old son asking, "Why didn't God create people who look like me? God didn't make brown people." I heard the pain in his voice and desire for all of this to be different.

If it is to be different, I believe I need to be a part of the solution. If I fail to call things out and challenge what is wrong, I am part of the problem. If I fail to do anything, I must ask myself, "Am I afraid or do I just have a lack of desire?" I am a disciple of Jesus Christ before anything else, which means I must submit my own transformation to that which Paul describes in Romans 12:2. Today I'm asking God to renew my mind so that I may be centered around His truth instead of being conformed to this world and the culture that pulls so strongly.

I am going to keep ringing this bell because it matters. As an organization, NNYM is taking internal measures to listen, learn, and leverage our positions. We say we are better together, and in the last half of 2020, we will continue to encourage youth leaders across the country as it pertains to racial reconciliation.

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Randy Davis is the Executive Director/CEO for the National Network of Youth Ministries