Diversity

People are so interesting. I am fortunate to have lived in a few different states. I started life in New York, near the city, which they call the melting pot because of its diversity.

You could walk down the street and hear accents from virtually every country in the world and within a few blocks find food from almost every nation. I took for granted that everywhere I would ever live would be as diverse. I was in for a rude awakening. I was also prone to making wrong assumptions about ethnicities based on people’s last names.

After moving to the South, if I heard a last name that sounded Italian, I got excited, expecting a Northern encounter. When I heard a long southern drawl, I was dumbfounded. Dumb was more like it. Then I met a young woman in my church I assumed was Jewish based on her last name who got baptized with me! I had a LOT to unlearn and relearn about generalizations.

I’ve learned over time that we’re all just people, regardless of our names, accents, religious practices, and political views. We are on the same journey trying to live our best lives and provide for our families and stay healthy. Some of us are easier to deal with some days, but we all have basic needs and wants.

We are all a reflection of God whether we believe in Him or not. He knows us; we need to try and get to know Him while we still have a chance. Those of us who have a relationship with Him have an awesome responsibility to live our lives in such a way that those who don’t might become curious about Him and ask questions. We’re not here to judge; we’re here to love and paint a picture without words of what He’s like.

What kind of artistry have you been creating lately? Do people see a difference in you because He’s active in your life or are you blending in with the world? We need to be thinking about these things. Time is short; make a difference by being different. Selah.