God Loves Unity Not Uniformity.
Unity is beautiful, colorful, interdependent, and with all the separate, unique parts working together for the good of the whole it is God’s way and heart.
Uniformity is monochromatic. It’s bland. It has its place, think of a bouquet of roses, but it also has limitations. Most assuredly, it is not the way of God.
Can you imagine a world with only one type of food? One animal. One bird. One type of fish. One-color flower. That’s it. One-color. Only gray, and nothing else. I cannot, because I could not survive.
” Forever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20 NIV
Think for a moment about the birds of the air, hummingbirds, owls, bluebirds, penguins, eagles, hawks, turkey buzzards, toucans, parrots, ducks, pelicans… Okay, okay, I am done. I think you get my point. Each so completely unique from the others, and perfectly adapted to their environments. Some are funky, some are fierce, but all are absolutely colorful and incredible in their own way. They are diverse and interdependent.
Now think about plant life, all of it in all corners of the planet. From algae to the mighty redwoods. From flowers and grasses to sweeping rainforests that create oxygen for us to breathe. There are millions of plants, flowers, bushes, trees, grasses, weeds. Each working together to create a healthy ecosystem. A rich tapestry of biodiversity that feeds and fuels and brings health and healing to our planet.
According to the University of Washington “research suggests the health of the ecosystem is rooted in a complex codependency between plants and animals that produce organic matter and simple organisms that break it down.”
God planned all of this when he created the planet. He planned for everything to work together in unity while also being very different. He intended this for nature and society. Therefore, diversity is actually a sign of a healthy world.
Celebrating Diversity
Everyone on this planet is unique with different backgrounds, personalities, interests, cultures, languages, traditions, etc. God created us to be individuals that work together. When we all think differently we can problem solve, and help each other. The last time you had a problem that you could not figure out a solution to, who did you go to? Someone else. Maybe you knew you needed an outside perspective. God cherishes all of us because we all reflect God’s image, and he knit us in our mother’s wombs to be DIFFERENT.
As the prophet Isaiah wrote- “This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it” Isaiah 42:5 NIV
The greatest desire of God’s heart is to have a relationship with his creation. His second desire is for everyone to LOVE each other in unity, not in uniformity.
“Jesus said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” Matthew 22:37-40 NIV
Just as God created the oceans and land, man created litter. God created diverse humans, man created political divisions, and war. God created melanin, calls it beautiful, adaptive, and good; man created racism, slavery, and exploitation.
Jesus called us to so much more. He called us to a powerful and important mission during our earthly journey. We are called to partner with him, to be carriers of heaven, and reflect it to everyone around us!
All people were created for this purpose, but many do not know it. We don’t have to be missionaries in ministry. You can spread the gospel as a dentist, teacher, mechanic, barista, etc. It is our job to point others to Christ and encourage them to do the same. Imagine if everyone on this planet knew Jesus and pointed others to him. We all would walk in His power and our divine purpose!
Love Like Jesus
We who call ourselves “Christians”, the name literally means “Little Christs” which indicates we are to ACT LIKE Christ. We must follow Him, His word, His will, His ways, always. Jesus taught us to pray first and pray for the Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). There is no racism or partisan politics in heaven.
Therefore, if we are partners of God, and Jesus taught us to pray for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then we who call ourselves God’s people, are to work toward unity and diversity.
In our country, I see so much division centered around politics and racial injustices. I am heartbroken, but God is even more. It should not be this way. It is one thing for the WORLD who does not know Jesus to act this way, but another thing entirely when Christians act like the world!
A world that does not know Jesus should be able to look at Christians, and see us leading the way, taking a stand against racism and racial injustices while modeling what it looks like to love and value ALL people. We need to be the ones leading the way for unity, not uniformity.
You can start to make this change by filling your friend groups with people from all over, hear their stories, love them, celebrate them, the way God does. Looking for a diverse friend group? Reach out to us and we will help you get plugged in.
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