We Can Embrace Differences Without Division.

“Okay, girls. We want to steer clear of Covid talk.”

My wife and I gave this advice to our three adult daughters as we headed to our family reunion last week.

Getting together this year was a big deal. We had not gathered as a large family unit since 2019 due to the pandemic, and we really missed getting together. Many family members had never met one of our grandchildren, now twenty-two months old.

We knew the topic of Covid could prove divisive. While the Richards name made us all the same in a sense, we were still very different. We came together from all across the state. We worked and played in different circles. Our ages ranged from twenty-two months to our seventies. Some live in rural areas, some urban.

We sounded a lot like a row of tomatoes.

The tomatoes look similar. I mean, they are all basically red and roughly the same size. But they are far from identical. They have varying skin tones. They have imperfections. Not the same imperfections, but ones distinct to the individual fruit. You can even have two tomatoes of the same variety, harvested from different plants that taste differently depending on their growing conditions. Still, they are all tomatoes.

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Also sounds a lot like the church.

Jesus desired for the church to be one, while He recognized our differences. He knew we would look different, hold different opinions, and be motivated by different values. He knew those differences would cause us to lean toward division. That’s why He prayed for us to be one.

“I am not asking on behalf of these alone, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe You sent Me.” (John 17:20-22, NASB)

Just as my wife and I wanted our small part of the Richards family to focus on family instead of a topic that could potentially divide us, Jesus wanted us to focus on God.

The church is made up of different people. That’s what makes the body of Christ strong. We each bring ourselves, our talents, our gifts. Each of those working together to make a complete body of Christ.

I encourage you to embrace those differences.

Praise God there are administrators, teachers, leaders, servants, discerners, exhorters, givers, and helpers. Bring who you are to the family table, just as we did at the reunion, and as Jesus prayed to His Father, that we may focus on “being one… so that the world may believe You sent Me.”

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.