We’ve been conditioned to think that it’s us versus them.
We’ve been taught to believe that their well-being comes at our expense.
We’ve been trained to see all that is different as a threat.
But…
Jesus came to destroy that myth of scarcity.
Jesus came to tear down the dividing wall of hostility.
Jesus came to demolish our discord.
Now…
There is no Black or White.
There is no Gay or Straight.
There is no Immigrant or Citizen.
Although…
We are created in such beautiful diversity.
We are each made to reflect the manifold image of God.
We are called to live in the full glory of our unique and wonderfully made being.
So…
We do not need to leave our culture at the door.
We do not need to fit a certain mold to be accepted.
We do not need to feign blindness to the exquisite beauty of various shades of melanin.
Yet…
We can learn to appreciate the wisdom of those who think, look, or speak differently than us.
We can learn to open our eyes to our common humanity and our common dignity.
We can learn to see them as us.
Because…
When we see them as us, we will love all our neighbors, near and far, as ourselves.
When we see them as us, we will learn that there is enough to go around.
When we see them as us, we will experience the Kingdom of God in all its beauty.
Cover image by Tim Mossholder at Unsplash. George Fox students Annabelle Wombacher, Jared Mar, Sierra Ratcliff and Benjamin Cahoon collaborated on the mural. / Article: https://www.orartswatch.org/painting-the-town-in-newberg/