I read this story the other day.
There was a black server who served a black couple their meal at a restaurant. When the couple filled out their ticket, they did not leave a tip and instead wrote, "Be black" in the tip line. His actions apparently didn't register as black enough for their tastes.
There are a ton of stories like this one, with all different races of people assuming all sorts of roles on everyone else.
Insert one of my heart's most secret fears.
Our oldest son is five years old.
We knew he was our son when his birthmother was about six months pregnant with him.
He is some beautiful mix of African American and Puerto Rican.
We are white. (Actually, I tell most people I am translucent because I am so pale you can see all my veins. You just can't get whiter than I am.)
I look at my precious son, and I fear that he will never be black enough for some people's opinions.
I fear he will never be Puerto Rican enough for some other people's opinions.
I fear he will be too white for some other people's opinions.
Everyone has opinions about these kind of things.
Because versions of it have already happened a number of times, someday I know I will have to explain to him why someone called him "an oreo" (a terrible term for someone who is black on the outside and acts white on the inside, whatever that means...). Someday I am going to have to hold him when he cries because someone was mean to him because of the color of his skin...or because of the color of my skin.
And when I start "somedaying" my fears, I remember that by the day that someday gets here, I will have already spent our time teaching him that he doesn't need to worry about being black enough or white enough or anything enough. The only identity that matters is whether he is baptized enough, and that he is, indeed.
The only identity that matters is if God has marked him as His own, and He has.
The reality is he will never be "enough" in this world, because none of us will be.
And when we recognize this, we are able to stand up and say, "No. I am not enough, but Christ is."
My dear son, Christ is.
And your identity will always be in Him.
You were marked as His when you were just 11 days old.
That, my son, is the only identity that matters.
All you have to worry about is being Solomon enough. Christ has everything handled.
