As a parent, I have come to appreciate the tough love that my parents gave me. I say that because I see how great a need it is to prepare my child for this world that is not always kind. Our country is divided and still dealing with issues that date back way before my time. It seems as if we will never learn to look past the color of skin and understand that we are all one. It seems that double standards will continue to be a part of our culture. It also seems that the law will continue to deal with people of color from a point of fear and stereotypes. These are harsh facts that I had to learn as a child to be better prepared once I entered the world as an adult.

Forged in the Fire is not a focus on racism. It is the focus of how love and compassion can conquer hate. There is no giant too big for God. This book shares a few of my experiences with hate and discrimination and shows how my faith in God brought me through it. I did not allow the actions of a few shape how I would view the whole. If we love God, we must love each other. Learning to love when it is difficult to love is learning to love the way God designed it. I have friends from almost every racial background you can think of. There may come a time that you will be profiled, discriminated, or attacked because of the color of your skin, but just know that fighting hate with hate yields nothing. Let God deal with the things that you cannot control.