Saturday Song Stories - "Deal Justly"

Michelle and I used to live in Kelowna BC. On Canada Day 2002, we were walking downtown, simply because we enjoyed the busyness and the people, not to mention the fireworks on the crowded lake shore. While on one of the less crowded streets, we heard some yelling. When we took notice of what was going on, we were shocked to see a group of three or four young white girls verbally harassing a young native lady. I won't tell you what sort of names they were calling her. Why were they doing it? No reason. Just because she was there.

She obviously felt threatened, and in an effort to find some security, (I guess we looked harmless enough) she came over to us. She was visibly shaken by the ordeal, and as we talked, she admitted that that sort of thing had happened before. She made a statement that stopped my heart...she said, "I don't trust white people." We talked for nearly 20 minutes, before we offered to walk her to where she was going. While on the way there, a friend of hers rode by on his bicycle and stopped. "Are these whiteys giving you a hard time?" "No, they're okay." She said.

That is the first time I had seen blatant racism at play. I had seen other minority groups on job sites do more work for less pay. I had heard jokes told by people who would not consider themselves to be racist. I had always known that some people groups get labelled and are often trapped within oppressive systems. But this is the first time that I had seen someone threatened, and verbally attacked because of their nationality.

I went home with too many emotions to count, and this is the song that came out. God called us to "Deal Justly, Love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." The line about how I would "rather not place myself in history's hands" is a reference to what I see as a strong need for God's people to make amends for past injustice, and work hard at bringing about a kingdom where the oppression that exists in our flawed system is done away with.

When I was in college I worked on a tree farm with a half dozen or so men who were from other countries. In conversation with a gentleman from India, he asked what I was studying in College. I told him Theology. I guess he thought I said Geology, because he got very excited. With his hand on my shoulder, he told me of how in India he was a university science professor who specialized in Geology. "Good, good, good" He said. Here is an academic professional, hoeing weeds on a dusty tree farm in Canada for much less than minimum wage. Justice? No.