Humility is at the heart of Christianity, and every person who has faith must strive to adhere to this virtue. Being humble means valuing diversity in all of its manifestations, and to do it, one can rely on the principles outlined by David A. Anderson in his book Gracism. The principles provided by the author enable me to integrate them into my interactions with minorities and marginalized and underserved people. For instance, when communicating with minorities, I always try to adhere to the principles of “I will honor you” and “I will stand with you” (Anderson, 151). The problem of racial disparities is inherent to the United States, and it is present in many spheres, including health care (Metcalfe et al., 2017). The aforementioned principles enable me to recognize the struggle of the minorities living in the country and to support them in their desire for justice and equality. The principles also coincide with the idea of one of my favorite Bible verses, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (“The Holy Bible,” Ephesians 5:21). Essentially, for me, honoring and standing with others means showing my admiration for Christ.
Moreover, when speaking of marginalized people, I always experience empathy for them and their difficult conditions. As a result, whenever I meet such individuals, those are usually the homeless, I remember the principles of “I will lift you up,” “I will cover you,” and “I will share with you” (Anderson, 151). I am certain in my belief that “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD” (“The Holy Bible,” Proverbs 19:17). As a result, I frequently help homeless people to find the nearest shelter and make sure to give them at least a small sum of money whenever I have cash.
Finally, when engaging with underserved people, I espouse the principles of “I will consider you” and “I will celebrate you” (Anderson, 151). An example of underserved people for me is the poor populations of rural America which include people of all ethnicities and races (Gurley, 2016). The two aforementioned principles allow me to avoid forgetting about the problems of these people and celebrate them for their resilience in the face of harsh socio-economic circumstances.
References
Anderson, D. (2010). Gracism: The art of inclusion. InterVarsity Press.
Gurley, L. (2016). Who’s afraid of rural poverty? The story behind America’s invisible poor. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 75(3), 589–604.
Metcalfe, A., Wick, J., & Ronksley, P. (2017). Racial disparities in comorbidity and severe maternal morbidity/mortality in the United States: an analysis of temporal trends. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 97(1), 89–96.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). BibleGateway.