It has come to my attention lately that man (or woman) kind has a difficult time accepting diversity.
Whether it be the diversity of thought or diversity of appearance, we struggle as humans to accept someone different than ourselves.
I must admit that throughout my life I have, at times, been judgmental of others without even knowing who they are or what they are about.
I struggle understanding people whose bodies are decked with tattoos and piercings and shy away from ultra-conservative thinkers.
Yet, it’s very clear to me God treasures diversity. He blesses all people and all nations (Genesis 18:18).
Some people may not believe this and stake their claim that the Bible contains doctrines that declare only if we “behave” or think a certain way does God bless us.
I don’t believe this is true.
In my opinion, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at God’s creation and see immense diversity.
By simply looking at the variety of plants in a desert or a mountain landscape you can see thousands upon thousands of species and varieties of plants of different colors, textures, and traits.
Take a closer look at each species and you will see within that species, sub-species that are similar yet different.
Helianthus, the common sunflower, comes to mind. Within that species alone are seventy varieties.
The same is true for animals, birds, insects, spiders, and fungus (BTW, the fungus has 5.1 million species!)…
God created them all and He created us also. Each of us with different styles, colors, shapes, sizes, thoughts, opinions, and values. In 1 Co 12:4, Paul tells us that not only are we diverse, but God gave us different spiritual gifts to share with others.
It’s no wonder, humans love and crave variety or diversity in everything from food to cars and animals. God created the world that way and we enjoy and marvel at the wonder of it all.
We like God, love diversity.
Yet, and this is a big yet, we struggle with diversity among people. Why?
Could it be that advertisers, churches, influencers, and others are telling us what we must look and act like in order to be accepted?
Did this idea of conformity originate from our families of origin whereby our parents, with all good intentions, tried to teach us right from wrong and pointed a frightful finger at others who were different
in order to protect us?
Why is it we feel threatened when another human looks, thinks or acts differently than ourselves? Aren’t we all children of God?
Is not God the unifying link that strengthens and joins our diversity into one beautiful multicolored tapestry?
Like a magnificent desert or mountain scene, I believe we are more beautiful as a people when our diversity is on full display.
When we learn to accept and honor the beauty of different cultures, skin color, body types, lifestyle choices, and ideas, our world becomes unified in the spirit of light rather than darkness.
Let us learn to be more like God, reveling in and honoring diversity!
