A friend shared the link above with me, and it really struck a chord. The wheels began to turn, and I realized something deep within me was moved. I realized that there was something that has bothered me for a long time: The phrase color blind. We are not color blind. We should not be color blind.
The article is about adult, transracial adoptees sharing their story of how hard it can be to grow up in a white family and not be white. Well, as you can see in the picture above, we are now a transracial family. I have a little one who will grow up in a white family and not be white. What does this mean for him? What does this mean for us?
It means we have been given and unique gift and challenge by God. I have zero doubt that Aiden was meant for our family, regardless of the color of his skin or the color of my skin. I am not saying that I don't see the color of his skin. I do! I see it every time I look at him and every time I think about him. He has this creamy chocolate skin. I don't know how to explain it, but he is shaded perfectly with lights and darks. It is warm and inviting and compliments his big, shining, brown eyes. I see his brown skin, and I see beauty. I love it.
Now, that is my mama's heart speaking up there. All of those things are true. When I see brown skin or white skin, I do not see one as better than the other or that skin color is even the most important defining thing about a person. It is just a brush stroke in the design of God. Unfortunately, not all people have this view. We live in a world where some people view skin color as THE defining thing about a person, and they view darker skin as less than. This is the world where my kids will grow up. This is the world that my children will enter when they leave my home. This is the world that they will need to know how to survive in when I am not around. So, no I will not be teaching my children to be color blind.
As a transracial family, it is our job to acknowledge and educate every person in our family. That means a lot of different things, and we understand that we may not always be able to provide all our kids need in this journey. We are committed to surrounding ourselves with people to help us along the way. We are a family, and we love each other very much. But we understand that that love will not be all our kids need. We will strive to instill in them a confidence that comes from knowing that their ultimate identity comes from God and God alone. We will also try our best to prepare them for the world that is outside of our house and our embrace.
We are not a color blind family. We embrace all the shades that God has and will use to make our family. We love them. We also understand the responsibility that comes with this beautiful color-filled life God has given us. We understand it and we welcome it.
No comments:
Post a Comment