Wednesday, March 10

Celebrating Differences

Scripture:

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Romans 15: 5-7

Observation:

God calls us to come together as one people to give glory to Him. Accepting one another as Jesus has accepted us in all of our good and bad, in all of our flaws, and all of our quirks. 

Application:

Our God is not a God of cookie-cutter people. Surely, he made us all with perfect intention. We were divinely predestined to exist and God knew He’d knit you up in your mother’s womb long before the earth was even created. How amazing is that? So who are we to assume that others should be more like us and less like themselves? We each have gifts. We each have strengths and weaknesses and being a diverse people means that we are all a part of the puzzle. Each giving different parts of the bigger picture. Let us remember that as we navigate our relationships and interactions with others. We are all different and it’s not only ok, it’s exactly what God intended. 

Prayer: 

Jesus, help us to see others the way You see them. As magnificent masterpieces that have been skillfully made by You. Though we may feel like we know best, God, you are the one who assigns purpose. Today, we surrender to you the need to control others and instead choose to begin to view others and ourselves as a colorful work of art, diverse and beautiful. Amen.