Sometimes, in humanity’s efforts to progress it seems as though we are taking one step forward and two steps back. For instance, in terms of race relations, recent events in the United States indicate that we still have some way to go. 

A recent conversation with a friend who is Black made me more aware of the long-term repercussions of the United States’ history of slavery, and of other issues in the world pertaining to human rights and race relations that continue to need our prayers. Acknowledging past wrongs of thought and action as well as current wrongs that need to be righted is a first step toward reconciliation and healing. 

The US Declaration of Independence asserts the equality of all and that every individual is “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Through my study of Christian Science, I’ve learned that this creator is our Father-Mother God, who sees us through the lens of divine Spirit rather than that of race, class, or gender. Seeing ourselves through this same spiritual lens, we realize that we reflect spiritually all that belongs to our Maker, and therefore are all equally important and worthy.