8 is NOT enough

My shocking answer: 8%. 8. Seriously only 8. I live in New Jersey. 49% of people who live right in my neck of the woods are people of color, yet people of color make up only 8% of my friends. As I responded to the horrifying news that has tumbled out in the past two weeks, my tendency was first to shout at the people OUT THERE. "Change!" "Stop it." "How can YOU do this?" "HORRIBLE!" But that fairly strong "FIRST TAKE THE LOG OUT YOUR OWN EYE" message from Jesus kept circling around in my head. I kept thinking about this: 8%. 8. Seriously only 8. Yes. The problem is OUT THERE. And it's BIG. And it's TERRIBLE. And it's HEART-WRENCHING. There's absolutely no doubt about that. But it's also IN HERE. In my own life. In my own heart. There's ALSO absolutely no doubt about that. For me to take that LOG OUT OF MY OWN EYE, the very next right thing is for me to change that number 8 into 9 and then 10 and so on and so on, until my back yard barbecues are filled with color (and not just from my flowers) and I'm sharing plates and corn hole with those who don't share the color of my eyes or nose, but who share the human beat of my heart. #8isNOTenough