What Color Is Your Lens?

There are times in which we encounter others, and one side isn’t functioning as optimally as possible. Maybe one person is at a weak state. That side could be someone else, or it could be you. Sometimes, those encounters color how we view that person possibly even years afterward.

For example, maybe someone knew you in times of trouble. They were there for you in some way. You clearly weren’t yourself or your best. Perhaps, though, they provided you basic needs if nothing else. They look at you through a lens that may be colored with compassion or love or perhaps even with pity or disdain. Their help lasts for a little while, and eventually, for whatever reason, you separate. Maybe it’s age; maybe it’s maturity and growth.

Years pass, and you reconnect again. For whatever reason, the person is unable to recognize that your circumstances may have changed, that you have grown or matured, and that you are no longer functioning in that weak state. For whatever reason, they still look at you the same way they did when you were struggling.

Their lens has been colored. I’m not talking about rose-colored lenses, either—that is, those lenses that have been colored to see the world in a positive light. I’m talking about those that have colored, sometimes preventing us from seeing the good in others.

Let’s look at it from a different point of view. Satchel Paige was an amazing pitcher. Because of his ability and his antics on/off the field of baseball, he went from incredibly poor beginnings in Mobile, AL, to making really good money for the time playing baseball. Satchel absolutely worked for it. Pitchers these days hopefully throw 100 pitches every 5 days. Back then, Satchel pitched almost daily and did it maybe longer than anyone else.

Sadly, it took years before Satchel made it to MLB. He did, however, make it to the both MLB and the Hall. He is the oldest pitcher ever to pitch in an MLB game. (I’m not going to even try to quote his age because that is a true mystery. Satchel told so many different dates that one wonders if he himself truly knew his age. He was smart, though; he probably did.) Let’s just accurately and fairly say, for a baseball player, he was old by number, estimate or not. Somehow single-handedly and often, Satchel was able to unify the races with his showmanship, his personality, and his God-given abilities.

There are stories of Satchel throwing the baseball from the mound over gum wrappers at home plate again and again. From the pitcher’s mound, Satchel was able to knock matches off of boards at home plate. Whitey Herzog asked if he could throw a baseball through a barely-larger-than-baseball hole in the outfield fence the distance of a pitcher’s mound. First, Satchel asked if a ball would fit, and when he was told it would, he asked for 3 chances. He did it, of course. He hammered nails in a board at home plate from the pitcher’s mound simply by throwing a baseball.

In all of his games, Satchel reportedly never hit a batter. Ever. Time and time again, Satchel would load the bases (sometimes on purpose) and then call his players in from the field except for his catcher. He would then strike out the batter. Depending on the situation, sometimes, he struck out the side.

Satchel Paige and many other amazing players were not allowed to play baseball for MLB because of the color of their skin. Despite his skill and personality, he was denied. Some, including Satchel, believed he would be the first to break the racial barrier. We all know that honor went to Jackie Robinson. Still, Satchel had a way of breaking down racial barriers. Satchel had a way of making people see him and not just a man of color.

I don’t know why we let those past experiences skew how we see people. Sometimes, maybe it’s a learned behavior. Sometimes, maybe it’s compassion turned to pity. Maybe it’s a combination of those and other things. Either way, it’s not what we’re supposed to do.

Scroll through FaceBook or social media. Watch the news. Our lenses aren’t rose-colored. Jesus’ message is simple: Love God; love others. Love. Imagine a world in which we try to see the best in others. Imagine a world in which color is a descriptive statistic and not seen as a reason to hate.

Differences are a beautiful thing. I firmly believe God makes no mistakes. If you, like me, are guilty of looking at others through imperfect lenses at one time or another, remember God is at work in their lives as well as our own. We may underestimate people, but I choose not to underestimate God. That person may have been struggling at one point—weak, if you will—but who is to say what God has done in their lives? If that person knows God and you have limited beliefs about them, you’re limiting God. Satchel wasn’t just a black man who played baseball; he was a baseball player who happened to be black.

Is that what you want? I don’t. Choose to see the good in others. It’s worth it.

#racism #love #Jesus #Christ #God #color #baseball