Thought for Today
Genesis 1:21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?
Galatians 1:6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--
When did ‘different’ become a profane word? It’s not a 4-letter word. It’s not scatological or obscene in its etymology or common usage. The word simply means “partly or totally unlike in nature, form, or quality.” (www.merriam-webster.com)
Currently, here in New England, spring has not quite yet sprung. We are in a transition from winter toward spring. Some days are warm; some days are cool. Many days are rainy, or at least muggy.
Everywhere I have lived or even traveled, people focus intently on the local weather. Understandably so, because the weather affects us all and influences all of our activities. Having moved from an area with much different weather, I believe much of our local attention here is due to the very noticeable difference between winter and all the other seasons. Along the Texas Gulf Coast, a similar phenomenon occurs, but for summer rather than for winter. There, the summers are very noticeably different from all the other seasons.
Concerns with difference transcend almost every subject with which we deal. The impact of differences in weather is immediately obvious. The impact of differences in our economy is sometimes more subtle, but those impacts are intensely personal when they impact our ability to sustain our lifestyles. In either arena, different can be a dirty word . . . or can describe a very desirable change in condition.
When I read the Creation stories in Genesis, it seems to me that God has a marked preference for ‘different.’ As spring struggles to emerge here in New England, we witness the rebirth of the landscape. Trees leaf out; plants awaken from their winter slumber; critters once again scamper across the fields and yards. It’s easy to enjoy watching the flora and fauna reassert their claim on the land . . . except to the extent it frets Greta and other gardeners as they watch those critters munch their fill of the newly emerging plants.
As we observe God’s Creation, it is hard to ignore all of the different ethnicities, languages, geography, societies and lifestyles. Many of God’s children live the majority of their lives in a single locale, one nation, speaking a single language, living a lifestyle unique to that one locale.
Having moved from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Bay State, I am often reminded that we speak (more or less) the same language; although we often pronounce the same words very differently. There are difference in climate, but only of a relatively few degrees (despite how bitterly cold it seems to us here). The clothing is (more or less) the same (fewer boots and jeans here). The diet and food are noticeably different!
Is ‘different’ a profane word? People often notice that Greta and I have an accent. For what it’s worth, we didn’t have accents in Texas. We just talked like everybody else. Of course, Texas is big enough that there are regional accents, so we sounded like we were from East Texas.
As our country deals with the whole immigration issue, we need to remember, we are a nation of immigrants. The only difference separating any of us once we get here is the date of our (or our earliest ancestors’) arrival. We are all Americans; we are all God’s children. Odd as it may sound, we are united by our differences. Those of us who are Christian are united into a single family of faith, irrespective of whether or not we ever eat chili or call roads highways or freeways. Christians need to focus on that most important Biblical word, “ALL.” God loves all of God’s children. Some merely have different gifts from our common Father.
Stay safe, embrace God’s panoply of gifts, trust God,
Pastor Ray