LOVE OVERCOMES ALL THINGS
by Alta Smith
A couple of my friends and I decided to attend a crusade meeting in Chicago. One woman was about 10 years older and the other was about 10 years younger than I am. But we got along well and enjoyed one another’s company.
In order to cut expenses, we brought food with us packed in ice. But one day we decided to treat ourselves to a McDonald’s sandwich. We were not familiar with the area and much to our surprise, we found ourselves in a McDonald’s restaurant with only African-Americans. That did not bother me until I noticed that everyone was staring at us.
As we stood in line, I could feel tension in the whole restaurant. Then I noticed one man sitting by himself staring at me with the most foul look of hatred I had ever seen. My friends saw him at the same time, and without a spoken word, they both took one step towards me until their bodies were touching mine, one on either side.
Fortunately, both my friends were black and their actions sent a message to everyone -- "Back off. She’s with us." The whole room settled down, and everyone went back to eating -- even the man full of hatred. I knew without a doubt that if anyone had said one unkind word to me, my black friends would have fought to their last ounce of strength to defend me.
I learned a valuable lesson that day: Prejudice is just another sin in the heart of mankind (no matter what race) and that love overcomes all things, even discrimination.
While faith may move mountains, First Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
by Alta Smith
A couple of my friends and I decided to attend a crusade meeting in Chicago. One woman was about 10 years older and the other was about 10 years younger than I am. But we got along well and enjoyed one another’s company.
In order to cut expenses, we brought food with us packed in ice. But one day we decided to treat ourselves to a McDonald’s sandwich. We were not familiar with the area and much to our surprise, we found ourselves in a McDonald’s restaurant with only African-Americans. That did not bother me until I noticed that everyone was staring at us.
As we stood in line, I could feel tension in the whole restaurant. Then I noticed one man sitting by himself staring at me with the most foul look of hatred I had ever seen. My friends saw him at the same time, and without a spoken word, they both took one step towards me until their bodies were touching mine, one on either side.
Fortunately, both my friends were black and their actions sent a message to everyone -- "Back off. She’s with us." The whole room settled down, and everyone went back to eating -- even the man full of hatred. I knew without a doubt that if anyone had said one unkind word to me, my black friends would have fought to their last ounce of strength to defend me.
I learned a valuable lesson that day: Prejudice is just another sin in the heart of mankind (no matter what race) and that love overcomes all things, even discrimination.
While faith may move mountains, First Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
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