Sean Smith – ETP Season 1, Ep 24
Title: What can God do through your life to heal racism?
Shawn talks with one of his closest friends, Sean Smith about how we can choose love above all to heal racism.
Sean, an African American man, recounts a time when he invited a white man to his house who bluntly told him that he ‘hated black people.’
Sean shared how he stopped the man right there. He said, “Hey, man. You have no reason to hate anybody else.” “Can I just share with you something that happened to me?” And I shared with him how my dad was murdered by a white police cop. And for the record, I’ve got great respect for police officers, I’ve got friends and relatives on the police force and I support them and I pray for them.” I went on to tell him that the particular cop that shot my dad was not godly and for that matter, didn’t even honor the oath. They had a background in the KKK. It’s proven in San Jose, in a court case that they shot my dad, they called him that racial six-letter word for African American that starts with ‘n’ that should never be used by anyone, in my estimation: not a rapper, not anybody. Personally, because of the baggage. They sicced their dog on him and sprayed mace in his eyes. They cornered him one night out at Steven’s Creek Boulevard in San Jose and drove him, chased him down a field and emptied three rounds in his back. He was dead on arrival at the hospital that night.”
The white man listened to Sean’s story so Sean went on to say, “I get it, I understand it.” And I said, “You know what?” I said, “If it wasn’t for Jesus, I’d have every reason to hate you and your race.” I said, “But Jesus Christ came in my heart and He’s changed that. And man, I’ve got nothing but love for you.”
The white man started crying at Sean’s response. Sean started crying and they both got on their knees and cried out to the Lord. The white man asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life and he was radically transformed. He ended up becoming Sean’s right hand man on the streets and together they shared the love of Jesus with many people and saw people get radically saved and transformed!
It is the love of God, it is this Gospel that reaches, that knows no boundaries. It is a mercy and a grace that comes from the Father above and says, “It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, I’m not going to stop loving you.” And a kind of love that can so overwhelm you that you have a surplus to love people that were previously your enemies and make them family from that point on.