Throughout elementary and high school, I read books by Octavia Butler, Esmeralda Santiago, and Amy Tan. All amazing writers who looked like the women in my neighborhood. Women of color who were gifted in telling stories through their writing. All amazing women who validated experiences in my own culture and also helped me love and care for the stories of others around me. These were women who wrote about the inequalities experienced while attempting to attain the American dream, which included the experiences of slavery, the antebellum south, and injustices within our American system. They brought to life the truths of others without imposing their personal truths onto what they had written. I say this as a proud graduate from “one of the worst high schools” in our district, but if it weren’t for my public school education and the teachers who realized the importance of sharing stories that were different than their own, I would not be who I am today. If I hadn’t grown up falling in love with books like, When I Was Puerto Rican, Kindred, Joy Luck Club, and so many other diverse stories, then I would’ve never been able to care for relationships that didn’t share the same experiences as mine. These stories were reflected in the lives of my peers in the classroom and my community, and it taught me to be aware of the needs of others around me. To be aware of the suffering of others and to connect with those around me. These stories came from men and women who realized the importance of pointing students towards an awareness of their cultural backgrounds and identities, but not labeling one group as superior to another. These stories taught me that racism exists still in the United States, whether we acknowledge it or not. They taught me that our actions have consequences and we need to learn to be accountable for them. The Lord used the words of wise authors to break my heart for people and injustice all over the world where my own church did not.
“We need to do better at listening and reading stories that are different than our own. We need to get better at sharing our stories. We need to understand that God breaks our hearts for what breaks His through the power of compassion and softening of our hearts by His Holy Spirit. ”
As a Christian, I learned to integrate my faith into what I was learning from what I had been assigned to read. Although this fact wasn’t being overtly said in the classroom nor the church, I learned some very important things. Injustice still exists. Even if Christ died for our sins, evil is still present in this world. All people matter, not just His followers nor just the people who look and think like me. When one group is oppressed, it is my Christian duty to accept their suffering as my own. When one of my Latino brothers or sisters is being separated from their family by an ICE official, I am to grieve that loss with them and stand against a President who is unwilling to acknowledge his own privilege and prejudice. When a black brother or sister is oppressed or treated as inhuman by a police officer or any other person, I am to stand with them and remind others that “Black Lives Matter.” When an LBTQ brother or sister is told by a Christian that Jesus can’t love them because of their sexual orientation, I grieve with them, tell them Jesus’ word never said that, and pray that the Lord helps me show them that Jesus can love them back to life. When a person suffers from PTSD because of a horrific event such as sexual assault or losing a loved one due to a mass shooting, it is important to give others the space to share their story without injecting our input. The same goes for those experiencing depression and anxiety due to a chemical imbalance. We need to be exposed to the stories and sufferings of others and stop assuming that we’ve been called to judge what is right or wrong. We need to sit, listen, and be mindful as human beings, remembering that we live in a very broken world and that God did not put us on this earth to judge. He taught us to reflect His image as love and truth, but He taught us to do that by following Christ as an example. Jesus told stories of people who were not from his town or background. He captured people’s hearts through parables and asking people to check their actions. Never did he cast the first stone at someone who was hurting or in pain, even when he had the authority to judge. He instead used stories to convict them.
We need to do better at listening and reading stories that are different than our own. We need to get better at sharing our stories. We need to understand that God breaks our hearts for what breaks His through the power of compassion and softening of our hearts by His Holy Spirit. So much of what God did not intend for His world is taking place. Rise up and open your heart. Expose your heart and mind to the stories of others around you, both those that do and do not look or think like you. God’s truth and love are in His Word, but it’s also in the stories of others. God’s word is alive in this world through our painful histories, those glorious moments of redemption, and as we learn to apply His truth to a diverse world. Love others as Jesus has loved you. Listen to others as Jesus has listened to you. Show compassion to others as Jesus has mercifully bestowed compassion upon you.
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Writer Bio:
Veronica Alvarado is a writer based in Los Angeles, California.
Photo by Kim Ilinon.
Read more work like this when you purchase Issue 2: Beauty in Brokenness of Resolute Magazine.