Healing Prayer Service Reflection: The White Elephant

Jesus said - Let us go across to the other side – and they took him just as he was, and other boats were with him. (Mk 4:35-41)

Growing up there was one bar I would see as we drove down the highway – The White Elephant. It was fascinating to me as a young child, because of its peculiarities.  It had two front doors about 3 feet apart. Above one door painted on the white cinder block wall in black lettering was "White's" above the other door "Colored." As a 7 year old, I thought the doors were for elephants, if was The White Elephant after all. Sadly, even after segregation had ended, this bar was still segregated.

The owner of the bar saw no color in his customers, only the green of their money. So, The White Elephant had only one bar along the back wall; but it had two entrance doors and a flimsy veneer paneled wall down the center, to keep the customers from mixing and fighting.

But with crowds and drinking there are fights. Most of the fights weren’t racial. The people who went in the door marked “White’s” would drink, get drunk, cuss, fight, cut, and shoot each other. The people who went in the door marked “Colored” would drink, get drunk, cuss, fight, cut, and shoot each other.

On a Friday or Saturday night, when one group would get tired of fighting among themselves, someone mad at the world would wait outside the doors to catch someone leaving from the other side of the wall.  Maybe, they would just shoot through the flimsy paneled wall at people they couldn’t see, they didn’t know, and they didn’t care about. These were an “us and them” thing.

Very few people went to the “other side” of the wall at The White Elephant; mainly, the Sheriff's deputies and the priest. Being over 40 miles from the nearest hospital; the priest was the first call as a person lay dying. Then, they would call the Sheriff.

No matter what side of the wall they were on, all the people who frequented The White Elephant, lived the same lives: suffering in poverty, illiteracy, and dejection. They saw no hope, no joy, and no peace. They looked for relief in alcohol and fighting. Always thinking they were better than the people on the other side of the wall.

Peter stated that God made no distinction between “us and them.” Peter was talking about Gentiles and Jews (Acts 15:7-12); but, God sees no distinction no matter who the “us and them are”: No matter what the affliction, No matter how great the sin; no matter how much we are ashamed; no matter how lowly or poor; or no matter what our troubles.(Ps 72:12-13)

Faith in Jesus Christ purifies our heart. This is the faith that quiets the storm inside us. It is our lack of faith that puts God to the test and swamps our boat. Only Jesus can truly quiet the storms of illness and disease, or the storms of despair and hopelessness. Jesus brings joy and peace when we ask him, He only needs to speak to work wonders - Peace be still.