Monday; July 10

          When I was a youngster in Bible School we used to sing a song that advocated, “Red and yellow, black and white they are precious in His sight”.  In all honestly, I am not sure that those words would be accepted in today’s political correctness, but that doesn’t diminish the power of their thought.  It doesn’t matter our race, we all have value because we are people loved by God.
          As I thought about this song, it got me to thinking about how we can develop relationships across ethnic and cultural lines.  This noble effort can’t be reduced to a couple of paragraphs on social media, but here are a few suggestions.
1.  We can listen with empathy.  The truth is that there are differences between people in today’s world.  No matter how hard I try, I cannot know what it feels like to be an African-American woman.  Yet, what I can do is listen with empathy as she explains the struggles of her life.  Whether I agree about how she feels is a moot point – by trying to understand another person’s perspective we both become richer.
2.  We can eliminate “those people”.  When we feel the need to distance ourselves from others we often fall back on the term “those people”.  Not only does it distinguish them from us, it also places them in a position that is different than ours.  By eliminating the phrase “those people”, we can start to build bridges rather than erect walls.
3.  We can hear the Word.  When the Apostle Paul was dealing with a divisive situation he wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)  The eternal nature of mankind has no color, no nationality, no ethnicity.  We have all been washed clean by the saving grace of Jesus. 
          If we are all precious in His sight, shouldn’t we be colorblind as well.  Our differences are only skin deep, but a common salvation envelopes our entire souls.

          Think About It!

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