tiffany renee johnson on the gospel and racial reconciliation
name | tiffany renee johnson
describe this year in 3 words | illuminating, evolutionary, necessary
on your must-read list | all about love by bell hooks, fervent by priscilla shirer, and failing up by leslie odom jr.
song/album currently fueling your soul | something has to break by kierra sheard and the orchard by lizz wright
current inspiration | currently, lauryn hill is inspiring me. the secret to success podcast is also very inspiring. God's faithfulness is mad inspiring, and kind of mind-blowing. therapy and my willingness to commit to going— inspiring. my friends and family consistently inspire me.
COMMUNITY CARE
what has been your biggest challenge when discussing race in america within your christian community, and how were you able to overcome it? or how are you still working through it?
race is talked about pretty regularly, thoroughly, and thoughtfully within my christian community. so i guess the biggest challenge would be the weight that comes with honest discussion and confrontation. there is undeniable pain and tension when you decide to stare an ill in the face. but it is necessary for growth and healing. the discomfort usually births better versions of ourselves and our lives, whereas holding it in can be a slow killer, even if only figuratively.
what can non-black people do to lean in, support, amplify and show up for poc?
they can accept that some things are just going to take some time to understand, and because of this, diligence, humility, and patience are necessary things to embody. they can read and ask thoughtful questions. they can use their privilege as a sword in the fight for justice by partnering in business with people who have less privilege. they can stand with those on the front lines, actively using their voices to lovingly address the wrongs they witness and accept the things they will never understand but actively choose to amplify.
SPIRITUAL CARE
what do racial justice and reconciliation mean to you and how have they impacted your faith journey?
in my mind, racial justice and reconciliation are restorative. and restoration takes time. this looks like asking the hardest questions, doing the work to learn the answers, and not growing weary if we don’t get them right away. in my faith journey and in my studying, i have been reminded that Jesus’ whole ministry was restorative. Jesus himself was, is, and forever will be a restorer. as his follower, it is my responsibility to use his model, the gifts and abilities i’ve been given, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance to be an instrument of and for restoration.
how are you spiritually connecting to others and God on a deeper level during this season of your life?
i am learning to talk to God like the friend he is. that is deepening my relationship tremendously, and in turn, revealing to me the most authentic version of myself. the closer i get to that tiffany, the greater all my relationships become. because honest communion with God puts me closer to the very center of truth. because God is truth. i’ve also been reminded that i need God at all times. “i need thee. o i need thee. every hour i need thee.” it is a beautiful place of surrender to be. a lot of days, i don’t get it right. but there are days when i get close, and it’s beautiful. today is one of those days.
PHYSICAL CARE
if you could steer the conversation around rest, what would that dialogue be about?
do it! rest. get adequate amounts of sleep. it is essential. we can’t function without it. we don’t have to hustle ourselves into the ground. we should work hard, but then we should also rest. i try to get 8 hours as often as humanly possible. someone very dear to me highlighted a scripture in the Bible app the other day that speaks right to this. let me find it. boom! got it. psalm 127: 2 “it is vain for you to rise early, to retire late, to eat the bread of anxious labors—for he gives [blessings] to his beloved even in his sleep.”
how are you showing up for yourself when you feel the pain of racial wounds or generational trauma?
sometimes, i have to put some distance between myself and social media. prayer, prayer, prayer. therapy. walks around my neighborhood. and sometimes i sit with these things and ask them questions about where they come from. and sometimes, when i get to the root of those answers, there’s freedom there.
SELF-CARE
how do you cultivate self-worth in spaces that often value attributes dissimilar to what you embody?
i consistently challenge what people deem to be more worthy or more valuable. i have challenged certain ideals since i was a little girl. many of them, i don't believe. but the ones that try to seep into my psyche, i challenge, and they usually lose. on the days when this is a little harder than others, i have a very serious chat with myself about who God created me to be and who God says i am. nothing can adequately compete with that.
what beliefs guide your view of wellness and have they shifted this year?
my beliefs that God is faithful and that God's will is perfect have consistently centered me when much around me seems to be consistently wil'in' out. that keeps me well and whole. that gives me peace. this year has not shifted those things for me, per se, but it has taught me more about the fact that pain, unrest, hard questions, doubt, stress, anxieties, etc., can and will sometimes be present but none of them are strong enough to drown out peace. there can be a coexistence. this is one of the very reasons why God's peace surpasses understanding.
share a message from your future self to your present self.
i am the freest and most unapologetic i've ever been, and it looks good on me! you're going to love it here!
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*this conversation is about restorative practices within the christian church.
