This is the same question that I asked as I watched ‘the Help’ this past weekend. In all honesty I thought it was a good movie with a great plot, yet I left it having some nagging questions that I am not sure I will find the answer to. The main protagonist in the film, Skeeter Phelan, sets out to tell the perspective of the help, black maids who serve white families through services such as cleaning, cooking and child rearing. And as the movie shows it, these maids are treated awfully. And so I get Skeeter wanting to tell this perspective, but for what purpose? Is it just a good story that needs to be shared with others in order to sell books? Or is it a story that is supposed to propel others to take action on behalf of the stories characters?

I find that in many cases, our storytelling and reporting has no end other than that – storytelling and reporting. Perhaps in doing so, we are raising awareness of certain issues that plague different communities and societies, but we cannot stop there. Awareness in and of itself does not invite people to take action to change systems and situations that suppress the rights and livelihood of the people in those systems. It can only take people so far, perhaps invoking a sense of pity and maybe even a little charity. But pity and charity do not change the status quo; only compassion to the point of identification does and so much so that you are willing to become the person that you are advocating for. Jesus mastered this well!

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2.5-8, NASB)

Thank you Jesus, for not just taking pity on me and telling the story of my sinful estate. Thank you for putting on flesh and doing something about it!

Now, attaining this milestone brings with it a whole lot of stress, anxiety and fear for some people. Some start to think about their youth that has been seemingly lost. Others think about how much they will change in the coming years. And as I reflect on this day, I have to admit that there is some of that because the last ten years, since I turned 20, have been great! I mean, I have done so much, met so many wonderful people, started a beautiful family and been to some pretty amazing places. I would not trade the experiences and accomplishments over the last 10 years for anything in the world.

However, I have also done some pretty stupid stuff and made some asinine mistakes. Oh, how I wish I could forget some of these things! But the hope is that as I grow and mature that I will leave these notions and tendencies of being a youth behind. As the Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 13 – ‘When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child, but when I grew up (bolded mine), I did away with childish things.’

You see, all change is not bad. In fact, change and growth are necessary components of life. If I do not want to be the same person I was when I was 21, naive, foolish, with my head stuck in the clouds, then I have to embrace change. This is not to say that change is not hard, oftentimes it is absolutely brutal. But as a result, in the end, I become and you become, the persons that God intended for us to be.

So bring it on 30! I’m ready!

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3.18, NASB).

Now I have done research for this, but what I would really like is some personal evidence to back this up. If you, or someone that you know, faith in God has been affected by certain injustices please take 1 minute to fill out this one question survey:

My faith in God has been affected as a result of different societal injustices perpetrated by the church and/or those who represent the church such that:
- I am not affected by the decisions of others.
- I am hurt but I continue to follow Christ
- I have certain reservations about Christianity but am hanging in there
- I believe in Christ, but I don’t practice Christianity
- I believe in Christ, but I don’t any form of religion
- I am doubtful that God exists
- I believe that Christianity and all other religions were invented by people

Please visit my facebook page to answer these questions as there is not a way on this blog to collect all of the results!

I would also love to hear from you with more substantial stories. If you are willing to let your story be heard, either comment on this post or email me at ebanna22@gmail.com if you don’t want to put yourself out there like that. I promise to keep your names and other information you share with me such as email, etc, confidential.

Thanks for helping me out!