It is no secret that racial tension is on the rise from all sides involved. It’s true, whichever side individuals fall on in this debate about how far we have come, everyone has (hopefully) begun to see that there is at the very least, a lot of tension amidst the current climate that must be addressed. One must not look any further than Jesse Williams' passionate speech at the 2016 BET awards to see that many Black Americans/minorities still truly believe that America is not as far as many White Americans think it has come.

Likewise, in terms of the sentiments coming from the White Community, the support that Personality TV Host Tomi Lahren’s recent commentary on the BET awards has gotten on social media has shown that many in the White Community are starting to feel some sort of resentment towards the subject matter.

And if this recent phenomenon is not enough to convince you, the recent poll by Pew Research Center show that Black and White Americans are worlds apart from each other.

Looking at all that has been going on, I wanted to offer a unique perspective to everyone. That is why I decided to revamp my racial reconciliation series that I have begun within the past year. For my fellow White people who have been advocates for quite some time, or who are new to the fight, by now some of you may have indeed realized that statistically speaking, you are an anomaly compared to the numerous White individual in America who are either ignorant, or who chose to simply not speak up.

The fight for Justice is important, but it is important to stop every once in awhile and contemplate why you believe what you believe in. Humans are like vehicles. If we do not stop by the mechanics shop every once in awhile, we are prone to break down eventually.

Now if I could just pause for a minute, I have a confession to make: Although I enjoy a great debate, I do not like it when people do not like me. In fact, I despise it. As much as I truly value standing by what I believe in, I really do want people to like me. I have unfortunately lost friends due to my advocacy for the Black Lives Matter Movement. I seemed to have done everything right: I was respectful, heard them out, told my side of the story...but it did not matter. The hostility that I have seen in regards to issues with race have come from sometimes the most unlikely of people in the White community. Some of you may resonate with all of this. And if so, I would like to examine this issue.

At times, it can almost feel like I am an outcast in a community that I thought I knew well. In some circles, I am quite frankly seen at best as a self-hating White man. I recently even had someone message me calling me a n***** lover. A man or woman who speaks their mind is bound to have enemies, but I have sometimes wondered to myself: "Is speaking out really worth it at all?"

What’s interesting about this conundrum I have found myself in, is that I have the privilege of just walking away from all of this. I am not the one being adversely affected by oppression. In other words, this is not my fight! Or is it?

As many know, I am a man of faith. When it comes down to these times, where I just feel worn down, I know it is time to take a serious look at myself and talk to my creator. It is at these times that I again realize that the world is not really mine to save. There it is, I cannot save it! But God can....

The other day a mentor of mine in the fight for justice showed me the following Bible Verse:

“Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.”

After contemplating on this verse for awhile, I see the point my mentor was attempting to make to me. Why is it important for us to defend the cause of the oppressed? It sounds like a nice gimmick, but why?...Likewise, why is it important to serve EVERYONE? To give to the poor? To forgive as our heavenly Father forgave us? The answer is actually quite simple: because that is the Gospel. Just as Jesus came to reconcile himself to humanity, it is likewise our calling to reconcile ourselves to our family, friends, community, etc…Or put another way, the Christian life is not always a glamorous or popular way of living, but Christ calls me to become more like him. To follow in his footsteps. To mourn when those made in the image of God are treated as less than equal. To lament at the horrible atrocities that we commit daily.

I am currently in the midst of reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s: “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In it, the Reverend is as bold as usual. My mentor gave it to me to read and I soon found out why. As I mentioned earlier, I have truly been getting weary of not just fighting for racial justice, but justice in general. I was getting tired and burnt out. The following passage hit me hard:

"First, I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action;" who paternalistically feels he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season. Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

Given, Martin Luther King Jr. may have been talking about a different kind of sentiment that White Male Moderates were giving off, it still resonated with me. As a White Male, although I may get tired of doing God's will and speaking against racial injustice and other injustices alike, that is nothing compared to the alienation and probably annoyance that many in oppressed communities feel when Whites such as myself simply begin to get: "tired of talking about race."

To conclude, all I can say is to keep fighting the good fight. For you see, much is at stake here. As advocates, we have the choice to either bow down to pressure, or to be men and women of principal. When we get tired, we simply must lean on God and trust that he is in control.