Race
O God,
Thank you for the gift of our race.
It is indeed a gift—we were born with it, we didn’t ask for it, and we didn’t’ earn it.
It just is.
And it is a fact of our lives.
Thank you that we are black and white and brown, in any number of variations and combinations.
Forgive us when we assume, consciously or unconsciously, that our race is better than or superior to someone else’s. Forgive us when we believe, consciously or unconsciously, that our race is worse than or inferior to someone else’s.
Make us glad to be what we are. Make us glad that others are what they are.
Help us be appropriately aware of our heritage. Help us be appropriately grateful for what is positive in it and appropriately remorseful for what is negative in it.
Help us be appreciative and respectful of each other’s heritage.
Make us as aware as we can be of each other’s experience. Help us get to know each other. Help us treat each other as companions on the human journey. Help us understand that we are all in this together, so we will either rise up or collapse together.
Help us grow in unity even as we respect and embrace our diversity.
Thank you for how far we’ve come. Forgive us for having come no farther than we have. Help us use our current problems as an opportunity to move toward a healthier human community.
Amen.
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