A few weeks ago, we took our nine-year-old granddaughter, Sarah, to the Buhl Park playground. We were, perhaps, the only white people there, and later, Sarah and I had an interesting conversation.
“Grandma, I know that white people usually marry white people and black people usually marry black people, but do white people sometimes marry black people?”
“Yes, they do, Sarah. Some people seem to think it’s wrong to do that, but the Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong.”
Sarah looked thoughtful as I continued, “When we were living in Japan, an older woman I’d known for a long time called me. As we talked, I could tell she was very concerned because one of her granddaughters was dating a black man.
“I listened to her and then said, ‘E, the Bible doesn’t say it’s wrong for a white person to marry a black person. It only says a Christian shouldn’t marry a non-Christian.’
“E answered, ‘The man she’s dating is a fine Christian.’
“ ‘Then you have nothing to worry about,’ I told her.”
Sarah wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t know if I would marry a non-Christian or not.”
“You shouldn’t,” I said flatly, “because you’re a Christian. Remember, you received Jesus one day in Sunday.”
The wrinkles smoothed from Sarah’s forehead. “I guess I wouldn’t marry a non-Christian.”
I smiled, “That’s good. Let me tell you Aunt Angi’s story.”
Sarah wiggled a little closer.
“Aunt Angi loved Jesus from the time she was a very little girl. Then one day, almost before we knew it, she was ‘going steady’ with a boy from Pittsburgh who wasn’t a Christian. I wanted to forbid her to see him, but the Holy Spirit said, ‘Just pray.’
“Angi had promised one of her Christian friends to go with her to a Christian Youth Conference in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, before Glenn came into her life. We were praying that God would speak to her there.”
Sarah’s eyes were very serious as she listened.
“At the Conference, Angi realized how much she’d missed being with her Christian friends. She began to pray about her relationship with Glenn, asking God to make clear to her whether she should be dating him.
“That day each of the kids at the Conference was randomly given a Scripture verse to look up and read aloud to the group.”
I smiled at Sarah. “What verse do you think Aunt Angi received?”
Sarah shook her head.
“Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers!” (II Corinthians 6:14)
Sarah’s eyes widened and she broke into a giggle.
“And guess who Aunt Angi met at that Conference?”
Sarah shook her head again.
“She met Uncle Matt–a fine Christian young man! Hazelton is a town halfway between Sandy Lake where we lived, and Philadelphia where Matt lived! He told her, ‘If we both follow God’s plan for our lives, we’ll be together if that’s what He wants.’ They began to write to each other, and later on, they got married.
“So God’s Word doesn’t say anything about whether black people should marry white people, but it’s very clear that Christians shouldn’t marry non-Christians. Lots of times, Christians think if they marry a non-Christian, they can change them, but too often the Christians end up being changed by the non-Christians. So if we are serious about following Jesus, it’s important that we don’t marry or even date a non-Christian.”
Content with my answer, Sarah ran off to play.
I love these opportunities that give me a chance to give input to what Sarah is thinking, to plant seeds that we pray will one day bring a harvest in our sweet girl’s life, encouraging her to obey God’s Word.
Heavenly Father, help us to continue to plant seeds, trusting you to bring the harvest! Amen.