What Do We Tell Our Children When They Ask

I chuckled to myself when I woke up on the morning of Wednesday, November 6, thinking about New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra. Yogi could sometimes lead you to question his intelligence while you laughed at his well-known quips. What flashed in my mind that morning was one of the best Yogi-isms: “It’s déjà vu all over again.” It seemed like we’d been here before—but how did we get here again? More importantly, what will our children say when they hear us cry and moan about a sobering moment in history that almost seemed to repeat itself? 

The same tactics of unapologetic racism, sexism, misogyny, xenophobia, and more that worked before have led millions of people to put their trust in a “concept of a plan” supposedly designed to help. Meanwhile, a plan for the dismantling of democracy is already written and ready to be implemented. What do we tell our children if they ask, “What did you do to prevent this” when they experience social policies that may deny them a decent education, the right to be who they want to be, the right to control their own bodies, and the right to a peaceful and thriving life? 

I’m not comfortable with a simple answer like, “It will be okay, God’s in control,” or “God will have the final say.” Yes, all is not lost, and yes, we have been here before—but we must ask ourselves why it continues to happen. If we truly love our brothers and sisters, how do we show them? I am reminded of Jesus’ brother, James, a leader in the early church. In the Book of James, we are reminded in chapter 2:14-17 that our faith is validated in our works.

If we believe that God is in control, then we must actively work as the hands and feet of Christ to demonstrate that love and justice overcome evil. Maybe we need some of Saint Fannie Lou Hamer’s theology: “You can pray until you faint, but unless you get up and try to do something, God is not going to put it in your lap.” Maybe we need to pause, reflect, and get back into shape. Maybe more of us need to stay on the battlefield rather than show up only every two or four years at the ballot box. We can be honest with our children and tell them that when we were confronted with evil, our sobering reality is, as Yogi once said, “You wouldn’t have won if we’d beaten you.” Our love can be demonstrated through our fight for justice, and we fight for justice because of our love. 

With Love and Lament,

Kevin Tyson CRS Board Member Ambassador and Community Outreach Organizer, Imani Village