Was Jesus Black?

(random photo that has absolutely nothing to do with this post )

 

If you're reading this now or came to this post because of the title...Well hi there. How's your week been going?

 

 Yes, it's going to be a very unique post considering what I usually write about here. I can imagine some of your faces as you read this. You're waiting to see if this is going to be... well, okay, let's just say you're probably curious.

 

I've debated doing theological posts on Apassionata but declined the notion because I figured there was already enough...um...craziness randomness here? Yeeeah. That's why Symphony and I started Creation Gals.

 

But today I'm changing it up for once. This is a topic which rested in my brain several months ago and I've deliberated deeply on it since.

 

Racism.

 

 So many misconceptions. So many false assumptions. So much hate - and I do mean, the true meaning of hate. (Not the liberal, left-wing manipulation of the word.)

It happens on both sides...both white, and black. It has the potential to occur in every soul, no matter the nationality or color.

 

The word 'race' itself, is racist. (for more on the word 'race' read this article I wrote on Creation Gals)

It's an evolutionistic term at root and implies a species still in the process of evolving to its full potential/state of existence.

When the word 'race' is viewed under such terms, it makes sense why people can so easily fall to looking down on somebody a different color or background then themselves.

Most of our vocabularies include a racist term, and we don't even blink twice! Is that not scary?

 

So. I've opted not to use the word 'race'. I could go into more reasons why this is a word to avoided, but technically that was already covered in the article noted above.

 

It's really tragic to me how easily humanity derides against itself...and for the most petty reasons.

 There will never be world peace or anything similar until Jesus returns and the new heaven/new earth is instituted, true. It's just heart-breaking to me, to see people look down on one another simply because of the amount of melatonin in their skin.

 

Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.

 

It's all due to our sin nature. We are inclined to such things, being a fallen creation.

I'm not perfect, myself. In fact, I'm far from being thus. It's amazing how much I mess up, and how easily my thoughts turn from being on the right things.

 

I never thought of myself as being racist. In fact, the subject has always stirred my heart...even to the point of inducing a form of anger. When I read of the injustices and wrongs done to people simply for skin-deep reasons, I cringe and involuntarily grit my teeth. I hate to see it.

 

And then these questions hit me out of nowhere. And suddenly I found myself pondering something I'd never really taken into deep consideration before.

 

Does God have a 'skin color?'

 

Was Jesus black?

 

Is God black?

 

What about Adam and Eve?

 

 

It seems everybody creates assumptions about God/Jesus' appearance. Go to a white church, there are pictures of artists' conceptions of Jesus. He's usually rendered as a clean-cut, effeminate looking fellow with a mild, clean cut beard...and very pale, colorless skin. Very white.

Go to a black church, there are artists' conceptions of Jesus. He's typically rendered as a clean cut, but no so effeminate looking man with a beard and chocolate colored skin. Obviously black.

The same formula follows for other people groups and nationalities.

 

Now, the fact alone that we have 'white' and 'black' churches irks me, but that's a topic for another time.

 

The point is, we all picture Jesus as looking the way we look. It's an involuntary mindset. I'll admit, I never used to question those pictures on the church walls or in the children's' Bible story books.

It may seem trivial, to question what Jesus looked like during His time here on earth.

But isn't it still worth the thought, since it is, after all the Creator of the universe? Isn't it worth the thought just because it's something to make us examine our outlook on things?

 

If God truly does have a 'skin color', (we are made in His Image, after all) what immediately comes to your mind? This will prove where your involuntary assumptions are.

This being said, I don't believe we'll ever be able to know what He looks like until we meet Him for ourselves. I picture Him as He is described in Revelation and throughout Scripture. Being clothed in white, best likened to a beam of blinding, incredible light.

The human mind cannot truly fathom His appearance.

 

What did Jesus look like, during His years spent here? Once again, no one will ever know while abiding in this current life. I picture Him as being neither white nor black, but in between, due to the middle-eastern region He hailed from.

 

Adam and Eve. Were they black? White? Asian? Latino?

 Here is another misconception I believe that's made and all too often. In the kids' Bible story books, Eve is portrayed as having long blond hair, and pale skin. Adam looks similar.

To me personally, I don't believe this factually conceivable. Since all the world's future inhabitants would spawn from this couple, there must have been enough potential for genetic diversity within their DNA to provide this. If both Adam and Eve were 'white', where would the melatonin come from to create darker skin later on?

If they were both 'black', it wouldn't be possible for any of their descendants to ever have a lighter complexion.  

 

Simple enough, right?

 

 So how then do we have the incredible diversity of color and physical characteristics in the world today?

 

What if....

a. Adam and Eve possessed more middle-eastern characteristics - olive skin, dark hair, etc.

or b., one was 'white' and the other 'black'?

 

These two options seem the most plausible to me. Especially the latter. As I said before, I am hardly very knowledgeable and I myself make many presuppositions, many prove to be false.

But I like to think. I like to question. And as simple an issue as this may seem, it truly can raise quite a debate.

 

So...what am I concluding?

If you're truly not racist, you should be able to view Jesus/God/Adam and Eve and being any color. We have no hard fact of what any of them looked like/look like, so therefore we shouldn't cling to this solid idea that they looked any one way.

 

Make sense? Hopefully, yes. 

I know in the long run it won't matter, compared to other things, but I still think it's a fascinating topic to ponder.

  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Seven Billion {WriterlyWednesday}

{this is an abbreviated version of a song I wrote two days ago}

 

 

"Seven Billion"

By Leah K. Oxendine

 

 

Coffee brown skies, and coal black sidewalks,

Yellow taxi-cabs racing down the street.

Millions of people brushing past me,

And I forget whether I’m coming or going.

Welcome to New York City, welcome to a hurting land.

The neon lights are burning bright, but

They can’t hide the darkness thriving here.

 

Seven billion people on planet earth,

Seven billion lives of incredible worth

Seven billion souls in this world, and how many of seven billion have truly heard?

How many lives have been touched?

By hands reaching out, spreading God’s Holy Word?

 

How many souls have been told the Good News?

And how they can be saved from hell and what Jesus can do?

Seven billion, that’s a pretty huge number,

 but the Lord made us all incredibly unique and special.

As children of God, we’ve been given a task,

to spread the gospel to as many as we can.

 

Towering pine trees and fields of green,

prettiest landscape that I ever did see.

Horse farms scattered all across the county,

rolling down the road, pick-up trucks and dualees.

Welcome to Fairfield Florida, welcome to a needy land

The stars, they shine in the clear night sky, but they can’t hide the darkness dwelling here.

 

What are we doing, sitting here;

drowning in the waters of our own fears?

Why do we worry, what others think?

Why do we let that worry stop us from witnessing?

Why do we worry about others’ thoughts?

When we step outside our comfort zones we step into God’s.

-

 

I stayed up till' 4 in the morning to write that. O_O Scary, right? Well, when God gives you inspiration, you can't just dump it because of what time of day it is.

I'm pretty pleased with it. Maybe one of these days I'll stop being lazy and try to record it somehow so you can hear it. I wrote it mainly with intentions of using it in our church band, so if you REALLY wanna hear it you just need to come to our church sometime! XD

 

Apologies for not posting anything lately. Life is hectic as always and I've been trying to cut how much time I spend on the computer so I can spend more time with my family, God, and instruments. :D I am planning to post something for FabHealthFriday this week however, about natural deodorants! How exciting, no? Heheh.

 

 

Have a blessed day! What's new with y'all this week? I'd love to hear about it!

Nothing Left to Say

(Taken when I was 14- Sorry for a random, old picture, I'd upload something more recent and exciting except Blogger won't let me upload new photos for some reason. Grr....)

-

I keep falling, I keep falling down/If you could only save me, I'm drowning in the waters of my soul/I'm giving up, I'm giving up, hey hey, giving up now.

Imagine Dragons' song "Nothing Left to Say" has really been hitting home to me in my life today. You know how some days go really well, others go simply awesome and, sometimes, you get a day that's about one degree away from utter perfection? I'd love to tell you that today I experienced one of those days.

But that would be lying.

Today was actually the worst day I've had this year. I don't know why exactly and the reasons I have figured I need not go into detail with. But I truly have been "falling down, drowning in the waters of my soul."

Without God, this could be true for every day of our lives. It's only when I get off track from His will that I find myself in this situation, drowning. I know that I've been doing some things which are not what He would want me to be doing, so I can only blame myself.

Do you ever feel like you've confessed to God the same sin literally hundreds upon hundreds of times? This is another thing I've been struggling with, and if not dealt with properly, it can eventually lead to drowning.

I've come to the position and conclusion that as the song says, it's true. There's nothing left to say.

The Lord didn't save me because of what I did, but what He did.

When I ask for forgiveness of my sins, He forgives me because His mercy is never-ending, not because of my mere human words or what I do to try and prove myself.

There's nothing left to say.

You just have to surrender to God, admit you were wrong and thank Him for His ever-so-abundant mercies. That's all. You don't need to go into lengthy detail, just ask His forgiveness, and mean it.

Ask Him to help you repent, and He will. But you have to LET Him. This is very challenging in itself.

And here's where we come to letting go, giving up.

"I'm giving up, giving up, hey hey, giving up now."

Give up those emotions of hatred, anger, resentment, bitterness, heartbreak, whatever they may be.

Give them up entirely. Don't let any smidgen remain in your soul. Let Him take them away, wipe your slate clean.

There's nothing left to say.

So My Mind Went Blank.....

....on titles for this post, at least. I thought about calling it something very specific relating to the topic I am going to write on today, but then I remembered I would probably be adding in a ton of other random tidbits that won't fit under the title's caption very well. Oh, forget about the title, who cares? I'll stop yakking about nonsense and get to the heart of this post.

SOO...you're probably wondering WHAT in all creation this is about? Guess. Really. YES, really!  I want to see your responses about this. Ooh! Idea! I should have a caption contest!! :D

But before that...did I ever tell you I am a lumberjack sometimes? Ok, well, maybe that's a little overstated, but...hey...it's fun to be dramatic in what words you use. ;) So maybe I'm not working 9-5 in a lumber mill, or cutting down 90 ft.-tall pines. And my biceps are certainly not the size of Paul Bunyan's.

However, I did work a good bit out in the west-side garden. (We have several garden plots on property, this was just one of them) Florida has two main seasons for growing vegetables. Spring/early summer, and winter. The latter is our biggest, because the bugs aren't so terrible and the heat not so insanely oven-like.

I just love winter. Everything about it. Getting to wear hoodies, long sleeved shirts and jackets. Being able to wear my cowboy boots without people looking at me funny, because, well, I adore my cowboy boots, and wear them year-long. Even in 100 degree heat.

What else is there to love about the cooler season? I could go on and on...writing in my book, a cup of hot chocolate in hand next to the fireplace. Bonfires and roasting marshmellows. Night-time hide and seek with the boys. Going running, and feeling the epic combination of sweat and cold, evening breeze. Oh, I am looking forward to it.

 You are probably thinking, "oh, a snow picture! maybe it was from a freak snow storm in FL!" Guess again. This was in 'Bama two years ago on a visit to  some of our friends. FL don't get no snow here. :P

FL is practically 98% boiling hot and 2% mildly chilly, in comparison to other northern states. Last year, our winter was...puh...barely a winter, it was so mild. Our veggies were pretty enemic because of that factor. Cool-weather veggies need COOL WEATHER. Not 80 degree days in mid-January.

SO. I am hoping and hoping and hoping that 2012 will finish the year off with a nice, COLD winter.

Ok, so I took a bunny-trail there and lost my place. I was supposed to be telling you about my lumberjack career, wasn't I? ;) So as I was saying, the cool season for planting vegetables is here, and I've been working on getting the soil all tilled up and prepared for planting. Clay, as hard as it is to work with, broken down and worked, can actually produce good, rich soil. Ours is actually pretty nice right now and I think it's ready for the seeds. But what I worked on specifically yesterday, was the fence surrounding the west garden.

Random fact of the day: I put up both garden fences that are in existence today. All by myself. About two years ago. With a post-hole digger, shovel, axe and saw. Got 'er done decent enough. But, two years later, those same fences are falling apart and the chicken wire is all warped and mangled from weather and 4 brothers who try to jump over/climb/hit baseballs against it.

So it's time for a new means of keeping the dogs out. What means would this be? Take a look at this picture I snapped at Mount Vernon last week. 

As you can see, the concept is stacking wood in a strategic manner, sort of like Lincoln-Logs.

How the heck did this relate to my lumberjack comment? I will now explain. Obviously to have logs, one must either 1., go buy the wood, or 2., cut it yourself. I did number two there. Had some old trees in the woods that I chopped into logs and then stacked to form a fence. Quite a good bit of axing there, and today my arms are feeling it.  Got about a quarter of the whole thing done. It looks pretty good so far despite the mess surrounding the area...old chicken wire, old wood posts I had to pull up, tools, oh it's a fine mess right now.  Daddy's not too happy about it, either. :P

SO now you know about the lumberjack thing.

Gosh, I spent wayyy too long talking about that. The main thing I wanted to say today was...well. I'll just tell you right now.

Do you ever wonder if God truly forgives you when you mess up? I do, all the time. It's one of my most constant worries these days. I mess up...so often. Y'all know that, some, more than others. My family? They know it...well...I'll just leave it there. :P
So, I flunk and mess up quite often. What happens then? I go to God, (and, if it was a specific other person I wronged, them too) and ask forgiveness. And leave it there.

BUT....is that truly all I must do? It's been a struggle to believe this entirely, and not worry to death over it, but the answer...is yes. Leave it. Forget about it. Trust me, satan's going to make that last bit hard to do. I have been struggling with a particular sin lately, and he keeps reminding me about how I've flunked so bad in it. Get behind me, satan.

He tries to rub in my failures, like rubbing acid into a wound. And I must cast him out in the Name of Jesus, ignoring his spiteful words.

I must trust one-hundred-percent that God DOES forgive when He says He does. When I go to Him, begging His forgiveness. He forgives. I choose to accept that. That's all I can do, anyway.

At church today, I was only reminded all the more that He really does forgive. He is an awesome God, and incredibly merciful to His children. Aren't you just so in awe of that? What He does for us every day?

Even now, He is advocating for us in Heaven, even now, He is protecting and preserving us.

I will never ever be able to thank Him for all that He's done for me, entirely. There is no end to the praises and thanks He is worthy of receiving.

Hope y'all have had a blessed Sunday so far, I certainly have!

Con amor,