Who Am I? Who Are You?

Who Am I? Who Are You? That question still rings in my head. My group therapy leader, a psychiatrist and Christian, still seems unsatisfied with my answer. I have pondered, wondered, ruminated, and mused over this question for the past two weeks. I don't really find it that difficult a question to answer. My problem comes with why does my answer seem so incredible when I share it with him or others? Jeremiah 5:1 quotes the prophet as saying: "Roam to and fro and through the streets of Jerusalem and look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, and I will pardon her." I dont by any stretch of the imagination think that I am that one man who does justice and seeks truth. However, I do believe that in these days of increasing apostasy, I am of a breed of men who are fewer and fewer in number. There are about 500 million males of African descent. Of those who are still married to their first wives, have higher education, are not living in poverty, in nations at war, stricken with illness, in jail, on drugs, in adultery or fornication, in healthy and holy heterosexual relationships, practicing their profession in a way that seeks to honor God and help the poor, I do believe I am one of those men of whom Jeremiah spoke. I believe that if we are to carry on as a remnant of what remains of African men, we must define who we are, and not allow the world to define us as it presently does. The images of black men around the world is thugs, pimps, gangsters, addicts, indiscrete sexually, dishonorable to our wives, our daughters and our mothers, unemployed, foul mouthed, unreliable as leaders and unrepentant as sinners. The question I would put before each and every one of us as black men, those who have the blood of Africa running through our veins is just who are you? Can God find in you someone who will do justice and seek truth? Or are you going to give in to the image that the world expects of us and to become part of the continued decay and decadence of our cultural heritage and the loss of our heavenly inheritance? Who are you? Are you worthy of God roaming to and fro through the streets… God is looking for a man who will do justice, seek truth so that He will pardon our people. That is who I have asked my God to make me. That is who I am. *Forwarded to me by a group of my friends in Chicago, Illinois. The photo is from my archives.