The Privilege I Carry

By: Nathan Fletcher

I don’t have white privilege.

I have working privilege…

the privilege to get up, get after it,

and earn my place in this world with sweat and grit.

 

Getting to work, to provide, to build…

that’s a privilege most folks take for granted.

Not me.

I have the privilege of responsibility:

 

to lead from the front,

to shoulder weight other men set down,

to protect what’s mine without apology.

I have the privilege to love with strength,

 

to forgive when pride says don’t,

to give and show mercy because real power

doesn’t need to roar to be felt.

I have the privilege to be kind…

 

and the privilege to become a storm

if someone threatens my family

or tries to take what I’ve earned.

I have the privilege to vote,

the privilege to grow,

to outpace the man I was yesterday.

And I have the privilege to worship God…

not the stage lit, crowd pleasing mascot of Sunday entertainment,

but the Triune God:

Truth without varnish,

Love without limits,

Mercy with a backbone.

The God who holds me accountable,

 

sharpens me, disciplines me,

and loves me with a fierce, unwavering loyalty.

And here’s what I don’t have:

I don’t have the privilege to play victim.

I don’t have the privilege to waste time,

to stew in anger,

or drown in somebody else’s chaos.

My life.

My choices.

My direction.

My privilege.