Yet the beauty of it is learning that all of those pieces, even the painful ones, fit perfectly together to create the masterpiece that is me. Stories, pain, conflict, joy, resilience, creativity, courage, and even anger have all brushed their unique strokes and colors onto the canvas of my life and invite me into an opportunity to become whole as I welcome all of the pieces of myself.
What tongsung gido had been saying all along is this: our negative emotions have a place in our relationship with God and with each other. We are all angry. We all know the contours of despair. We have only to direct our cries heavenward, together.
Americans of Asian descent deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and Keon’s public denigration of Asian languages and cultures contributes to the pernicious pattern of anti-Asian prejudice, discrimination, racism, and violence endured in our communities for generations.
On this episode of the Erasing Shame podcast, Dr. David Chao shares about the pioneering work of the Center of Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary that's paving the way for Asian Americans to more fully experience the abundant life.
We must do the good work of remembering and remembering actively. When we do this, we are able to better anticipate and address the issues that impact Asian American communities across the US and to work towards a justice for all that falls in line with the heart of God for healing and wholeness driven by the church.
The God of Advent is not a God of wealth, privilege, or status. The God of Advent is lowly–identifying with a forsaken place of our world.
When faced with the double trauma of the pandemic and anti-Asian racism, we need time to rest and lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus.