Imagine God displaying His goodness and beauty in the skin of all His people. Imagine Him stepping back and calling His beautiful creations “good.” Imagine all the wonderful tones and shades He spoke into existence.

Imagine that a pigment in the skin (melanin)—a pigment that affects the degree of which that skin reflects light (color)—affected the way that the creations treated each other. Judgment at first sight.

It has become so complex, and yet our responsibility is simple: stop injustice from both outside and inside the home. We show up in the different ways God leads, but be sensitive to His calling. It’s not just about direct conversations with the kids. It’s also about the “in between time” when you think they’re not listening. They are. It’s about the offhand “jokes” at work. Just as excellence is a habit, so is degradation, and we all have a part to play.

Some will be ignorant; be patient. There are areas that you and I have been ignorant in. Some will be hateful; be loving. There have been times when you and I have been hateful. Some will be relentless for bad; be relentless for good.

It’s a heart change that starts inside of each one of us. I pray that my children will grow up in a world where the first thing someone thinks about when they see their skin color is how beautiful it is.