Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
We heard about him. He was an outsider trying to fit in among our people. The country. The farmers. The locals. But no one wanted anything to do with him. He was too different.
I never heard him say a bad word about anyone but I sure heard them talk about him. Unkind words. Untrue words. But since no one verified them, no one knew the difference. It became the truth to those who lived near and they didn’t bother to care it was a lie.
There were no casseroles or plates piled high with brownies delivered to their door welcoming them to the neighborhood. There were no invitations to join the local congregations on Sunday. There were no friendly waves or calls of hello as they passed on the road. There were no invites to come over for a bonfire and barbecue.
They were different.
So people avoided them.
But one day a hurricane destroyed a local farmer’s crop. He lost everything. They had a large family and the income they expected from the harvest was gone with the hurricane force winds. They wondered how to pay their bills. They wondered how to feed their family.
Between the tears and the massive clean-up, they chose to trust God.
And He provided in an unexpected way.
God has a way of providing when we least expect it
The shunned man stepped up and shared an idea with the farmer who lost his crop. With a firm handshake and friendly smile, they agreed to the plan.
That first day together, the farmer came home with a surprised look on his face. They were wrong, he told his wife. Everything they said about him was untrue.
Despite the way he’d been treated and the rumors abounding, he was friendly and kind and most of all—he too loved the Lord.
Today, those two farmers have formed a friendship and they work side by side. I don’t know what the future holds for either of them, but I know the hard lesson we learned from this.
Each of us was created by God. Diversity was part of his plan. Sure, some of us look alike because we have a common Designer but others are vastly different. Maybe they grew up in a different country or their skin is different than yours or they eat differently or have different interests.
It doesn’t matter.
Maybe they speak a different language and it’s difficult to translate their broken English. Or maybe they live in a different kind of home or area than you. Their background doesn’t look like yours. The culture they’re so proud of isn’t one you relate to so you avoid them.
It doesn’t matter.
Or they smell differently or dress differently or are part of a different political party than you. Or they disagree on different national issues than you.
It doesn’t matter.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a farmer or banker or construction worker. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay-at-home-mom or working mom or work-from-home-mom. It doesn’t matter if you’re family lives on home cooked meals or take-out.
We are all different. And it’s a beautiful thing. 💓
We are unique and that’s valuable
My friend, why do we resist the beautiful differences our God designed for each of us? Why does it matter if I like steak but you’re a vegan? Or if I believe in protecting life at all costs? Or if I believe in the wall but you don’t? Or if I’m a Southern Baptist but you’re Pentecostal?
Why were we created as treasures yet treat one another like trash?
Why does it matter if we are different? It doesn’t.
When did we lose respect for life and the values each of us hold dear? Why do we insist on shutting out those who are different? Why must we use our words to cut down those who just want to find a place to belong?
If we learned anything at all from this, it was to value life and treasure relationships. From the color of skin to the different crops we grow, we are all designed by God, each of us unique and beautiful and exactly like He planned.
Don’t avoid those who are different. Invite them in. Be kind to them. Treat them as you would want to be treated. Love them like God does. Because you were both created by Him and for Him and that’s a beautiful thing. 💓
