AnY GivEN SUNday

What if Jesus Christ returned on a Sunday? What would He see?

These first two questions were all I can think about this morning. I was almost literally in a daze thinking about my approach for this day. It wasn't robotic or methodical but I stepped into this day with a laser focus. Every step I took was heavily evaluated. Every word I spoke, even the most simplest of salutations was strongly considered. I opened my eyes and hopped out of bed, tired but fixated on being in the right alignment for whatever the Lord had in store for me today. I couldn't even fathom being out of the will of the Lord today. Why was today so special? What made this Sunday so much more critical than any other day of my week? It wasn't necessarily. It was just the first day that I got "it". I got what we, as believers, are supposed to be fixated on every single day of our walk. Instead so many of us just focus on today, Sunday. (*Please read my earlier blog piece, "Church Clothes" and the point will be shared in much greater detail.*)

Sundays, for some, are a restart because their entire week was front loaded on self and very little attention or focus on the reason they had such grace in the first place. They're an opportunity to see their friends and meet new people. They're a reminder of who they are and to whom they belong. They're a day of rest that means a visit to the beach, a trip to the mall for a day of shopping, or maybe a nice brunch downtown. Sometimes it means any and everything but what is the norm for a believer.

For me, I need to be in the right place. I thought I always felt that way but today was different. I needed to adjust and adapt to what was being revealed to me. It was very important that I responded and did so quickly. I look around me and I see so many things that can't possibly please God because His Words don't confirm them. So many small but subtle seeds that get planted that can't likely grow anything good. So much disrespect for authority. So many bold moves that scream flesh and "me, me, me". So many puffed up chests and prideful boasts. Words attributed to God that don't sound like His voice. Servants that view ministry as something someone else should be doing because they are too busy to get involved. I see those that love to "out-praise" you but they are loathed to "out-serve" you. I see friends whose personal lives and businesses are going well and they're making great profits and everything is well. They won't admit it out loud but their actions suggest they prefer to live life on their terms and not for the purpose of the One that gives them life to live. I see all that stuff all the time but ultimately I am solely responsible for not only what I know but how I respond to what I know.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)
Paul was asking the brothers to consider the mercies that they were already beneficiaries of and align themselves with what God, who gave those benefits, desired of them. All Paul is saying here, in military terms, is align your life with what you already say you believe. Assume the position. Maintain responsibility. Present yourself daily before your commanding officer and receive your instructions.

What if Jesus Christ returned on a Sunday? What would He see?

Would He find His beloved children sleeping in the pews? Would He find His beloved children in a compromising position? Would He find His beloved children in worship to another god? Would He find His beloved children texting someone or looking at You-tube videos when the word of God is being preached? Would He find His beloved children slumbering at home because they partied too much the night prior? Would He find His beloved children immediately following the biggest mistake of their lives? Would He find His beloved children right in the moment of true repentance? How would He find us?

I think I can guess how these two questions make many people feel. This probably gives comfort to may of my readers. I mean, they are probably avid churchgoers so if the Lord returns on a Sunday, they would be in a great place, right? What better place to be than the house of the Lord? I have been to many churches that are large in number, even perhaps considered a mega-ministry and have tentacles all over the world with huge television and radio deals and daily advertising and all the clout you can imagine. They are constantly building and growing in number but their programs are more important than their people and more importantly, their souls.

If He returned on Sunday, what would He see? If He returned on Monday, what would He see? What would He hear come out of your mouth early that morning? If He returned on Tuesday, what would He see? How about Wednesday, what would He see? What if He came on Thursday, what would He find you doing? Perhaps He returned on Friday. What would His eyes behold His children doing that day? If He returned on Saturday, would that heighten your chances to be found doing well?

And this is where I landed early this morning before the sun rose. This is where I was left laying under the power of what I received. Every single day in any month in any year could be the day. Some look for signs. I cannot. If I was to expire unexpectedly, there is no further opportunity to look for signs. My "day of the Lord" would have already come and my "earthly account" would be closed. I cannot say goodbye. I cannot try to fix what I broke. I cannot hit the reset button. The account is closed, the balances are tallied up and my destination has been decided. My calendar will be of no further consequence. My life is whisked away into that sweet forever and into the hands of a just God. 

Right in the neighborhood live two young girls who I would describe as "latchkey kids". They come home from school by themselves and their parents don't get home for a couple hours after they do. I am sure they were given instructions to finish their homework and do some short list of chores until their parents return. What they actually do is not likely to be part of that list. The girls leave the house and stand outside in the driveway or sometimes in the road and they dance provocatively as onlookers drive by. They do this routinely with an eye towards the end of the street. When they see their parents' vehicle get to the stop sign, they race inside and shut the door, presumably to start doing their homework. Quite the analogy huh? They forsake the instructions given and do what feels right, always with their eyes out for a sign that "Daddy" is coming home. That's a risky way to live for those little girls and for us as well. Any given Sunday, or alternative day of the week, could be the day. How do you prefer to be found by the Master?

You can speak for yourself but I personally will never see a Sunday or any other day quite the same again. My service, my walk and my approach to it are irrevocably changed. The way I view relationships has changed. The way I view how I utilize the time I have been blessed with has changed. The way I see and respond to the grace of God has changed. And I couldn't be more grateful.

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV)

iTs LoNeLY aT tHE ToP

When I say "authority", what's the first thing that comes to mind?

If I say "We should respect authority", where do the lines get blurred? Where is your line in the sand? What is your tipping point?

The word "authority" (Merriam Webster) is defined as "the power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior."

When I look at the word "authority" through the eyes of Scripture, I find the greek word "exousia " (pronounced ex-oo-see'-ah) and it means moral authority, power, and weight, and denotes power conferred to a person by another, or delegated authority (such as the influence God gives to His people to act through faith)".

At face value, those two things may look pretty similar but they have a distinct difference. There is a big difference between a "dictator-type" approach (where if you ask the wrong questions or even question the authority in place at all, you will be physically removed from the conference room or forcefully taken to the gallows) and someone who stands in authority on some platform with the full understanding that they are only there because the authority or power was entrusted to them by another who has a greater level of authority.

What does a kid out of the inner city know about authority anyway? Does he see authority as someone set in place to keep him at a certain level and within a certain framework of experience, growth, and education? Or does he see authority as merely a guideline on the path to greater things? This inner city kid felt like the former was the more accurate and relevant of the two. I am sure some kids that grow up in the inner city now still see things the same way. Or maybe their experience has differed.

The last time I was back home in NYC visiting family, my sister and I were riding in from the airport. Bear in mind that this inner city kid, who admittedly grew up a lot since those childhood years, was sitting in the passenger seat as we drove through my hometown of Brooklyn. We had the windows down because it was pretty warm that day. We got to an intersection and there was a bodega on my right where several members of the NYPD were standing and talking. When we stopped at the intersection, they turned to look at us (for several valid reasons I would imagine) and I stuck my hand out of the window and waved at them as we drove off. I'm decked out in New York Football Giants gear and my hat turned to the back as I wear it at times. My sister was irate.

"Don't you ever wave at cops while you're in my car!" was one sentiment she shared for the next five minutes or so of the ride through the borough.

Some of what she said was valid, although I believe most of it came from a place I no longer lived and from a viewpoint that I no longer held. Maybe her drivers license and registration was not current. I don't know. I just know she was visibly upset and shaken. Basically, many of my family and friends from that location and friends that live in similar environments don't want the attention of the authority because it usually ends badly for them historically. From your community's HOA to your local police department to your apartment's landlord to upper management at your job, the attention is widely unwanted. My waving to those police officers was essentially like sending up flares. My little sister's message was received. But was it right?

You can't turn on the local or national news now without hearing a statement coming from the current administration which either inflames or incites people on social media and at the water coolers alike. It is very easy to look at the authority in our government with contempt and disrespect. Is this approach the proper one in God's sight?

If the manager gives an instruction for the work area but the team lead, seeing the day to day operations and having their finger on the pulse of the staff, decides to alter the instructions to fit what is currently taking place, is this approach pleasing to God or is He displeased?

These are not easy questions to ask so clearly they are not easy to answer either. Despite my upbringing and the memories that I bear to this day that make it challenging for me to look at authority as I should, it's still my goal to achieve the appropriate amount of respect for the office, more so than the person in the office. One bad board member doesn't automatically equate to one bad corporation. I struggle but make daily efforts to understand how God wants us to view the point of authority in our every day lives.

One pet peeve is how it is dealt with in our local churches. I am amazed, appalled, and very dismayed at how frequently a leader's spouse or children, a deacon, another elder, or even the church's secretary will change the instruction of the spiritual leader simply because they think they know better than the leader him or herself. That bothers me so much because I know what the end result looks like. That bothers me how casual and subtle it is and how easy we are to circumvent what has been set in place and do what we think is best, regardless of what has been instructed. We do it in the local ministries. We do it in the workplaces. We allow it to take place in our households and in family circles. We do it everywhere to the point where it has become commonplace. It is dysfunction, chaos and a frayed cord rather than a unified one. The old proverb about having too many chiefs and not enough Indians comes to mind.

We don't have to like the person or persons in authority over us but we may find it beneficial down the road to respect the position or office in which they stand unless following their instructions will cause you to sin against the Lord Himself. That's our exemption at home, at school, at work, and living as citizens of the United States of America. Besides this, His word is pretty clear.

A great literary work that I lean on in times like these is "Spiritual Authority" by Watchman Nee. I can't even tell you how many times I've read this but it has been several and I learn something new every time. His approach is that God is the ultimate authority and that the others are delegated or subject to Him. Here are a couple of his most poignant points worthy of consideration:

“Whenever man touches God's delegated authority he touches God within that person; sinning against delegated authority is sinning against God.”

“If God dares to entrust His authority to men, then we can dare to obey. Whether the one in authority is right or wrong does not concern us, since he has to be responsible directly to God. The obedient needs only to obey; the Lord will not hold us responsible for any mistaken obedience, rather will He hold the delegated authority responsible for his erroneous act. Insubordination, however, is rebellion, and for this the one under authority must answer to God.”

Let today be a day worthy of consideration as you read through these passages. Perhaps you can remember a prominent and notable figure in history by the name of Joseph. Do you remember his being sold into slavery by his brothers and although he was given nearly every benefit Potiphar had to offer, he refused to take liberties with his master's wife? How about David, called to be a king but yet to achieve the throne and refused to disrespect the current administration despite the attempts on his life? That list goes on and on and we have plenty examples. Now we simply need to follow them.

(Scripture references: Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 6:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-15; James 2:10; Acts 5:29)

I JusT Can'T.....

Giving up is painfully easy. It doesn't take much effort to just say "I quit".

Remaining in the refiners' fire until the process is done is not so easy. That takes effort.

But there's just some things that can't be compromised. There are some things that are non-negotiable. I know you have your list. Here's a few:

I just can't.......understand how we can still use a keyboard to say to people what we would never say in person.

I just can't.......believe that after all we have learned historically, most protests of significance still start with one person when so many are experiencing the same issues.

I just can't.......accept that our country could be on the verge of another World War and very few will admit the actual reasons why.

I just can't.......resist the laughter of a baby. Makes me laugh every time.

I just can't.......fathom that I'm not far from 50 years old and I still haven't achieved my dream.

I just can't.......listen to another political argument on Facebook. If you really wanted to promote change, this is not the medium you would use. You're not fooling anyone.

I just can't.......have an opinion on every issue. Maybe I'm older and wiser. Maybe I'm content letting folks figure things out without trying to jump in and "save" them.

I just can't.......endure a man without a spine.

I just can't.......find a better reason to keep going besides the fact that we still have breath in our body. That should never go to waste.

I just can't.......believe how easy it is for me to forgive others but how hard it is for others to forgive me.

I just can't.......quit and give up. Somebody somewhere is watching and they believe in me.

I just can't.......watch the train wreck that is reality TV. There are going to be battered bodies and brokenness at the end of the day. I would rather not witness it. 

I just can't.......stop thinking about home. I miss my family and NYC so much. 

I just can't.......understand how you can change a culture by keeping things exactly the same. This plan is flawed.

I just can't.......fathom that I'm not far from 50 years old and I still am struggling with some of the same mistakes.

I just can't.......stop walking fast. If you grew up where I did and the way I did, you'd understand.

I just can't.......believe that some of my "friends" actually believe everything they hear on Fox News and consider it the Gospel.

I just can't.......resist a genuine hug. Anti-hugging advocates need to understand they have a sickness. 

I just can't.......care less about whether I am accepted by clubs, organization, and social circles. I have gotten to the place where I don't view it as important anymore.

I just can't.......keep repeating myself. It's a pet peeve I can't get rid of.

I just can't.......imagine a world without comedy. You literally can find it everywhere.

I just can't.......swallow this "younger, faster, and stronger" generation that obliterates the elderly, the sick, and the unfortunate. This is not okay.

I just can't.......endure a nagging woman. They produce a sound that only grown men can hear and have the power to make a grown man run really fast.

I just can't.......with the ability of a negative post to last for weeks while the positive, enriching posts fall flat in a day or two. We live in a screwed up world. 

I just can't.......take for granted that as long as I am alive, God is telling me there's still a chance.

I just can't.......fathom that I'm not far from 50 years old.

MoMEnt oF YouR tIMe

May I have a moment of your time?

I don't want to temporarily distract you from the ebbs and flows of this life. I wouldn't dare whisk you away into the imaginary so you can escape the harsh reality of this life. I just want to talk to you...about a moment. I just want to encourage your heart. I just want to remind you of something that you perhaps didn't know.

You matter.

May I have a moment of your time to tell you how great you are? It should be something you have heard, at least, once before. It's not because of your last name or how much money you have in your bank accounts? It's not because of how influential you are at work or how you look in jeans or how spot-on your hot take is. It's because of something so much more impacting. It's because of something that doesn't fade away with time or age. You possess within you a treasure...

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)

Got a sec? Deep down, that blows your mind and I understand why. You might have lived under the shadow of someone else's expectation and never meeting the standard. I get that you always do your best and feel like it's never enough. How many times have you asked yourself, "Why me?"

We cover it with makeup, high priced dresses, and power suits but this vessel, or your body, fades with every second. Isaiah 40:8 reminds us that the "grass dries up and the flower withers, but the Word of our God will stand forever." These bodies, just like the grass or a flower are subject to the heat of challenge and struggle and will inevitably fade. We treat accountability and responsibility as occasional catchphrases or points of contention but we were born with this. Much of our world is in disarray because we are "out of position."

It's why our days seem out of alignment and why our nights are without peace. It's why that co-worker can irk you so easily and set your whole day off-kilter. It's why that driver cutting you off on the road can raise your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. It's why even the slightest change in your routine can send you into a downward spiral.

Are you having a bad day every weekday not named Friday? Assigning blame to the devil is often a fruitless exercise. Just like getting mad at a critter that tears up your furniture and rummages through your trash but you routinely leave your front door open. Is the blame on the animal that only does what is in its nature or does fault rest on the person who didn't protect and manage what they are solely responsible for? Something to consider, just for a moment.

We spend so much time obsessing about what others say or think about us, all the while pretending that we don't care when we really do. You are the product. God is the manufacturer. You are viable and profitable. You are designed with purpose, function, and vitality. Your life was thought out with care and consideration. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Who indeed knows you better than the originator of the hand-crafted, magnificent, God-breathed specimen that you are? When your Hyundai breaks down, you don't call Ford! When your Westinghouse is on the fritz, you don't call technical support for Target! Same premise. 

I don't care what "they" say about you. You matter. You are not worthless. You are not a failure. You don't need followers to validate your worth. You don't need to adapt to what is popular. You matter. You can't be a loser because the battle is already won for those that side with the "victor". You matter.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:7-9 NIV)

May I have a moment of your time to tell you that the hotter the fire feels indicates the closer you are to the core of the issue? The more intense the challenge and resistance you are experiencing indicates how close you are to the answer you need. The ant in Proverbs 6 teaches us to work, move, and press into what we need regardless of the season. The ant consistently maintains discipline and doesn't break pattern to please man. They work towards the goal until it is fully accomplished. We are commanded in John 9:4 to work while it is day for a time will come when no one will work any longer.

Press in. Take that next step. Your breakthrough is closer than it appears. You're almost there. Keep moving. Keep pressing. Do not be denied. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us that all we go through has a purpose and we have a cheering session that is counting on us. We are blessed with the privilege of doing what so many before us could not do. We are finishing the race.

And in a moment, everything can change.......
Tomorrow is going to be better.

ThaT fOUr LEttER wORd

Love.

What does that even mean? I know the word "love" has been tossed around going back as far as the sixties where there seemed to be a regular stream of "love movements" for one reason or another. Not sure what was accomplished there but even now, that word is used as either a weapon to manipulate or a catchphrase to make someone feel they've done their moral duties just by uttering it. Immediately the song lyrics to a piece that was huge in my life in the late nineties come to mind:

"Love. A word that comes and goes but few people really know what it means to really love somebody."

My eyes almost instantly well up with tears when I remember where I was the first time I felt the impact of that song. I was standing with my hands and head lifted up, screaming towards the ceiling, crying out in worship, broken and wondering how I was going to get through the mess I was in. I was standing in a building so many called the "church" but I was unable to call home. I loved the people and invested so much of my life into them and their development and into our relationship and it amounted to nothing. When God changed me, they changed too. They discarded me like an old piece of cloth or an outfit that just didn't fit anymore. They forgot everything that I did. They forgot the ways that I served. They forgot the prayers I prayed. They forgot me. Eventually, I ceased to exist. Simply because God changed my trajectory.

There are so many places that this four letter word can be applied. So many spaces and gaps that this four letter word more than adequately fills. 

I can see parallels in my workplace. I believe that I have exhibited the love of God for my many employees and peers. I have listened to their gut-wrenching stories and accounts of their personal lives. I have put my hand in their hands in remote places and prayed or kept a promise to pray for them and their families. I have intervened on their behalf when they were ready to give up on the job and on people in general. When they were in situations where I could have recommended them to be disciplined for infractions or to be terminated, I advocated for them, asking for one last chance to see if I can get them back on the right track. I became a father, a brother, a coach, a mentor, a professor, and even a friend. All of those roles were rooted in that four letter word. But just like the situation in that old church, when my trajectory changed, the attitudes towards me changed too. My present and former employees have changed. My relationship with my contemporaries have changed. Everything has changed. Love reminds us that why we do what we have done and love itself fills the void of requiring the gratitude. I am quickly reminded of why I did all those things and I am very grateful that I did. Honestly, I love my employees. The fact that the love is unrequited is irrelevant.

I love people who don't even love themselves enough to look professional in their vocation but they will look glamorous for a night out on the town. I love people who believe their vacation plans are more important than soul-saving work in their community. I love people who say they worship God but they begrudge Him for perceived slights from years ago. I love people who say they love everyone but they would only help people that look like them. I love people who think I'm not who I say I am. I love people who hate Christians because they have been deceived and tricked by imposters. I love people who honestly don't love me. John 3:16 reminds us that the Almighty gave the world the gift of His only begotten Son whom He knew would be rejected and despised and abused for the purposes of redeeming a world that largely didn't want help. It was that four letter word that propelled Him to continue with His plan regardless of what He knew would come.

To me, in my humble opinion, that is what makes those that say they believe readily available when a ministry is suffering or there is a need in the community. That is what drives you to pay for the groceries of the person in front of you with no expectation of return. That is what promotes you to clean your church without having to institute a work day. That is what makes people change their plans for a pleasure trip when there is a crisis here at home. That is what drives us to cut your neighbor's grass without them asking. That is what makes you help the widows rather than just expecting her "family" will visit and do it at some part. That is what makes friends check on other friends just because they had been praying for them and they were on their minds. That is what wakes you up at 3 am to pray for someone you don't know well but are clearly in trouble. That four letter word is what makes us truly desire change when we know the way we currently are hurts and hinders others. That is what makes someone that benefited from something selfless you did look you in the eyes and although they may be unable to repay you or put into words what your gesture meant to them, they can simply just say "Thank You". That's LOVE.

"Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" 

And he said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith as made you well." (Luke 17:11-19)

Jesus didn't say the four letter word but the mercy he displayed was a direct result of it. The leper was considered "well" just because they had faith and gave thanks. For me, I am convinced you can be a recipient of plenty of love from all kinds of places and still be sick. 

I guess a small point here is that anyone and everyone can say it but it is a greater, far-reaching, more significant work to show it. It last so much longer than the memory of that word being spoken. That could be why Jesus asked that question of the leper in the end of the passage that, of course as usual, I heard quite differently in my head. 

"Were you not a recipient of that merciful work? Didn't you benefit from that love gift? Is it so difficult for you to appreciate what God has done and give Him thanks? You look at yourself in the mirror. You see your situation that used to be bad but now it's not. What hinders you from opening your mouth and giving God the praise for what He has done for you?

Love doesn't require that you give gratitude. Love also doesn't forget the depths from which it was given. 

What time does "love" close every night for you? Or does "love" stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

"Love suffers long and is kind; Love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails....And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (I Corinthians 13:4-8, 13)

LooK AwAy

Look away and you might not see the little girl with the multiple bruises...

Look away and perhaps you can shake off the image of the  man stealing money from a blind and homeless man's money jar....

Look away and you might not hear the screams for help from your next door neighbor again tonight...

Look away and you might avoid seeing your married friend in a clandestine meeting with another married person.

Look away and you might become desensitized to that co-worker who makes yet another inappropriate comments...

Look away and you might be able to get through the day without having to think about the plight of U.S. citizens in hurricane ravaged lands...

Look away and you might be able to convince yourself that even though it happens to a fellow human, it just isn't your problem.

Look away and you might feel about your friend's attempt to cover yet another black eye with concealer...

Look away and you certainly should be able to avoid accountability when you see a manager make yet another advance on a female associate...Nobody else will tell so why should you, right?

Look away and you might actually believe that the country is in great shape and people like yourself are the primary reason why....


Look away and you might think your neighborhood is doing fine just the way it is and no change is necessary...

Look away and just post a "Pray For....." Much easier than actually praying.

Look away and maybe you won't see that all of the things you preach to others outside of your household has yet to affect those within your household...

Look away and you might be convinced that this world is better off when everyone thinks alike, looks alike, and believes the same way...

Look away and maybe thirty years of unhappy marriage can change without you doing anything different...

Look away and you can pretend you didn't see that "shopper" tucking that item she didn't buy under her baby's blanket and walk out of the store...

Look away and chalk up your child's bullying tactics on the playground to "kids being kids"...

Look away and hurry through that timeline so you can quickly forgot that "friend" that makes another racially bias post to support being "their America".

Look away and maybe everything will be better when you look again...