Hurt By Colorism?

5 Bible verses that helped me deal with it

– Anukripa Elango

It happens in the strangest of situations, in the measuring of a person, in the subtle wording of boxes on supermarket aisles, in the quick passing of a joke; at family dinners, at hospitals, at school staff rooms, when everyone’s having coffee after church service – a clear, loud message that the color of your skin is not desirable and that it determines what your worth is

Every Indian woman and man who is dark, whose skin color cannot be euphemized as ‘wheatish’, has many stories and memories of when they received this message. When you share those stories, maybe you laugh as you narrate them. Maybe your anger brims over. Or maybe you’re nursing quiet tears and a broken heart. The Bible is alive and addresses your hurt heart. The Bible is also full of truths that help us process and face the daily issues of colorism – the issues ranging from the mildly irritating to the plainly vicious.

Here are five verses you can memorise (or highlight, write on sticky notes, set as your phone wallpaper) and the truths that they give us. It helped me and I hope it helps you as well.

Wonderfully Made

1. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14)

God made you and your dark skin. You are not made haphazardly and without skill like a child’s first painting. God the Great Artist personally mixed the colors and laid each brushstroke when He made you – the colors of your heart, mind and body. And when the world tries to make you believe that fair skin is more wonderful than dark skin, they are like children trying to finger paint and make corrections on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. It’s important that you know this truth about your Creator “very well” – just as well as you know that two plus two equals four.

A Comforting Embrace

The LORD is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

God sees the pain that colorism has caused you. Yes, God gives encouragement and direction for how to live a Christian life while experiencing colorism. But He is not a harsh master who tells you to get on with it and He does not ignore your crushed spirit. Jesus feels the pain of betrayal and mockery that you feel. He sits down beside you and remains close, like a mother caring for her sick child. So, seek healing in the embrace of God. He cares.

A Higher Purpose

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2)

Your life is not defined by your skin color. While you may know your Maker and your worth in Him, you still live in a world that is pounding at your door to remind you about the color of your skin. Every conversation about your prospective marriage includes a sigh about your skin. Every selfie taken at a dimly lit restaurant begins with jokes from your friends. You are discouraged from playing in the sun. When you wear red lipstick or take a bright shirt into the trial room, your own mind won’t stop warning you that you look ridiculous because “Dark people can’t wear bright colors.” The noise is constant. Your skin color is all you think about because it’s all everyone sees when they look at you. Be moved by these words of Paul. Lift your eyes away from the blinding message of the world. Move your mind to the matters of your King and your Kingdom. He calls you to a life of His peace and His purpose. He calls you to be a compassionate friend, a hard worker, a bold defender of the weak, a sacrificial church member. Set your thoughts on these higher things. For your true life’s purpose is higher than the color of your skin.

Worthy of More

…our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)

Your skin color does not matter in your true country. First some bad news. In a 2015 survey when Indians between the ages of 20-25 were asked to describe “pretty”, 71% used words such as “fair” or “light”. Another study on Indian arranged marriages found that darker-skinned people were rated lower in preference by prospective mothers-in-law when compared to light-skinned candidates. Another reported that the Indian fairness market was reportedly worth Rs. 3,000 crore in 2019, projected to reach Rs. 5,000 crore in 2023. There are many versions of colorism playing out in different countries around the world. Now, let’s hear the good news. Your true eternal citizenship is not in India or the countries of this world. If you have saving faith in Jesus, you belong to an entirely different country where the standards of beauty and goodness are set by a God and He loves and values you beyond your skin color. So, while your skin color might determine your worth here on earth, let your hope and joy rest in the fact that we are heading towards more. So, choose to rise above the value placed here by your peers and look to Jesus who determines your worth.

Rising above Revenge

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:9)

God calls you to refuse revenge and to forgive. It is so satisfying to shoot a sarcastic, harsh response to an unkind and unnecessary comment from an uncle or aunty from church or in your family. It appeals to our sense of fairness – they insulted you and so it’s fair game to insult them back. The words of Jesus to “Turn the other cheek” are powerful and inspiring in the context of how they influenced Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. But we must make those words practical and actionable in our lives too. When an opportunity to strike back arises, bear in mind this uncomfortable standard set by Jesus. We must refuse to wound others with our words even though they seek to harm us. Try to respond with gentleness and respect to a person displaying a colourist attitude. Speak to the person privately and explain to them why their comments and their ways of thinking are hurtful. Tell them about your perspective and your feelings. Avoid gossiping about them. And if all this fails, ask God to help you to forgive the person – even if the person does not ask or deserve forgiveness. Pray for the person regularly, that their heart will be receptive to God’s correction.

As you reflect on, struggle with and heal from the issue of colourism in our churches and communities,

Keep an eye out for younger girls and boys who might be struggling with the same hurt and anger as you.

Reach out to them with words of encouragement. Give compliments freely. Simply listen to their angry stories and tell them that you understand.

Remind them of these truths from the Bible.

And when there are sniggers and jokes about a dark boy in a neon t-shirt or a ‘dusky’ young woman wearing red lipstick, take a moment to say “Hey! I think you look great!”