Keep Growing

“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 NIV).

Do you have a catchy email signature tagline? I recently spent some time coming up with a message sign off that was original, memorable, speaks to my work as a farmer, and reflects my personal beliefs. It was a tall order for a short phrase to end my email correspondence. After several versions that weren’t quite right, the perfect phrase came to me in a burst that I believe was a whisper from the Holy Spirit: Keep Growing.

We value growth in so many contexts, but especially in childhood. We celebrate our babies’ milestones, sharing the changes in their height and weight over the first year of life. We run behind our kids on their bikes, shouting with joy as they take that first ride around the block without training wheels. We watch our young children turn into adults, proud of the people they are becoming.

Growth doesn’t stop when childhood ends. I am certainly not the same person I was at 18, 24, or even 35. As I near 40, I realize how much growing I have done in my adult life and how much growing I still have to do.

I have grown as a mother, a wife, and a friend in my adulthood.  My faith has grown and shifted.  Growth is rarely linear. It’s often one step forward and two steps back. Even when the going is hard, we can look back with pride and see how far we’ve come. I can think of so many specific examples of how I’ve grown in the past decade, but today I want to share how my awareness of racial justice issues evolved over time.

As I sit to write this post, protestors are taking to the streets in nearly every major city in America, and even internationally, in the wake of the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Activists are speaking out against systems and policies that harm Black bodies and communities.  I’ve been so encouraged to see some of my fellow white friends speaking out about racism for the first time. I am praying that this is a moment that brings real change, not just a passing phase that lasts only the length of the news cycle.

I didn’t always care passionately about social justice. I distinctly remember when my high school’s first Black principal announced a Black History Month assembly. My initial reaction was wondering if we were also going to have Polish and French history programming, the nationalities of my family. A few years ago, I posted “All Lives Matter” in response to the Black Lives Matter posts.  I was one of the voices telling others that politics should be separate from faith.

I’m ashamed that in those instances, I didn’t look past my whiteness to see the experiences of people of color in this country. I am thankful that God opened my eyes and made me curious to ask if I truly loved my neighbor. Jesus cared for the many marginalized populations in his day—women, Samaritans, children, and lepers. As his followers, we must do as he did, lay down our privilege, and use our voices for change.

I still have so much growing to do in terms of racial justice work. It’s lifelong work to dismantle your personal prejudices and the systems that create inequity. Some of you are taking your first steps in this area. This is exciting, and yet we need to be honest about what it will take to do this work for the long haul.

Growth takes humility.

Becoming a racial justice advocate has meant realizing how much I don’t know and becoming comfortable with failure. We have to learn to take criticism without getting defensive. We need to elevate to voices of the marginalized, decenter our voices, and listen more than we speak. We need to apologize when we misstep and commit to doing better. We need to educate ourselves with the history of complicity with racism in the government, the church, and our own families. These are uncomfortable but necessary steps.

Growth thrives in community.

The work of justice thrives in community. Find local justice institutions in your area, and partner with them in the work they are doing. Start a book club with friends and read works about the racial history of America. The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby, The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper, and Rethinking Incarceration by Dominique Gilliard are essential works that lead to crucial discussions. Join the Be the Bridge Facebook group and see if there is a local chapter in your community.

Growth requires God.

The above steps are necessary, but real growth comes from asking God to show us where sin resides in our hearts and asking him to give us a desire to change. Pray for a deep concern for the oppressed and that God would equip you to do your part in dismantling white supremacy. Jesus died to save us from sin, and racism is sin. This is made clear throughout Scripture, including in 1 John 2:9, which says, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness” (ESV). We honor Christ’s sacrifice when we do our part to make the world a more just place.

Keep Growing has become more than an email signature to me. It’s a two-word manifesto for how I want to spend my days: to be always curious, learning, willing to be wrong, and challenged to do better. Keep learning, keep listening, and keep showing up in the battle for justice.

Lindsay Hufford is a small-scale farmer, home educator, chicken chaser, kitchen dancer, and mediocre knitter. Her favorite things include spending time with her family, exploring the natural world, reading, eating spicy food, and singing loudly in the car (to the embarrassment of her children). Lindsay believes sharing our stories will change the world. She writes about farming, homeschooling, faith, mental health, sobriety, and living an unconventional life. You can follow her adventures at peckandpetalfarm.com.

Photograph © Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona, used with permission