There’s Work To Be Done

4 May

“I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.”  ~ Martin Luther King Jr

In the mid-1950s, Martin Luther King, Jr. led a movement designed to end segregation and counter prejudice in the United States through peaceful protest.  This was before the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964.  His movement was seen by many as more than a peaceful protest.  It was seen as something to be quashed at all costs by white supremacists.  Yet, what’s wrong with the dream of people of all colors gathering together and living together peacefully?

Are we not all brothers and sisters in the Lord?  That would certainly be the foundation of King’s dream.  As brothers and sisters in the Lord, we should not allow race, nationality, ethnicity, creed, or any other “difference” drive a wedge between us and others.  The fact of the matter that some people are different serves to enhance our lives rather than threaten our lives.  Difference is good.  It adds a variety of things to our lives.

What a dull world this would be if we were all the same.  What if there were no differences in color?  What if everyone spoke the same language?  What if everyone did the same things?  Just how quick would it be before we were complaining about being bored out of our minds?

We need difference.  Different cultures open our minds to the many ways that God expresses Himself to others and to us.  There is certainly nothing wrong with that.  However, today, people are cast aside for being the wrong color, the wrong nationality, the wrong political party, and a whole host of other “wrongs”.

You want to know something?  All those people we cast out of our lives because they are wrong?  Guess what?  God loves them just as much as He loves you and me.  And God wants us to love everyone as He loves us.  You got that?  You may not like that but God’s non-negotiable in that matter.  Love everybody and not just those you want to love.

FAITH ACTION:  Do your best to live today accepting and welcoming all who come your way, regardless of race, nationality, or other differences.