On The Journey Towards Hope

We were in the taxi shuttle from the airport to the hotel, sharing the ride with another traveler. In the front passenger seat, the young black man from Detroit talked with the driver, who could have been his older brother. The Ebonics-laden chatter bounced side to side in a rapping rhythm much like that of the hip-hop music on the radio.
Then the young passenger told of his travels in the military and his tour of duty in Iraq. I felt the hair rise up on the back of my pacifist neck. I felt my strong prejudice against war. Then the two moved into a conversation of gratitude for the saving presence of Jesus Christ in their lives. My prejudice melted into humility. I suddenly felt a humble reverence for the young Detroit man who, with the grace of God, chose to rise above his dead-end future in the ghetto, to provide some service to those who gave him a college education, and to speak boldly of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
The long shuttle ride was, for me, a journey from prejudice to humility, from stereotyping to humility, and from pride to humility, understanding that God's grace can work in the souls of people in all socioeconomic strata. I realized how my descent into pride is a thousand times worse than one's descent into living in deplorable ghetto conditions or fighting a war. Humility means that I stand in readiness to embrace all people as my brothers and sisters.

- Jan Davis