If you’ve ever strolled through a botanical garden or an art museum, you know that diversity makes for beauty. For some reason, however, this doesn’t seem to work within the church.
As we grapple with how our local expressions of the body of Christ are separated by issues of culture, race, socioeconomics, and theological distinction, it’s easy to believe that our diversity is the culprit for our disunity. Uniqueness and fine-tuned distinctions, however, are part of God’s original creation, intrinsic to the created world that He called “good” (Genesis 1:3-4).
In Genesis, there was orderliness and harmony, a beautiful fusion of distinct realities. There was creature and creation, male and female, light and darkness, night and day, work and rest. The Creator separated “the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth” and ordered time around the rhythmic distinction between evening and morning (Genesis 1:6,8). God’s design was not for a world where everything was the same, but rather a world where all things (with all their multifaceted uniqueness) were gathered together in Him. Creation’s harmony existed because of its shared life in God, not because of any flat unanimity.
As God’s revelation unfolds, we discover that God exists as a trinity, the mystery of God being three-in-one. In God, there is unity and diversity. Humans, those who bear the Trinity’s image, also reflect God’s own reality. We, because of God, share a unity that can never be extinguished. But we are also diverse, each of us offering our unique selves within God’s world.
In Jesus, may we find ourselves living in harmony with one another, even as our unique selves shine brighter.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Judges 13:1-25
More:
Read Revelation 7:9-11 and consider what it says about the diverse group standing before Jesus.
Next:
What unique gifts has God given you? How has He infused your uniqueness with purpose and love?
Gary Shultz on March 10, 2015 at 5:24 am
Wow, grabbing a dicie subject. A good one though. Our area is rather staunch at viewing other people, different people. It seems to me that it takes a high level of maturity, godliness mixed with humbleness to arrive with a healthy accepting attitude. Thanks
Roxanne Robbins on March 10, 2015 at 10:23 am
Well said, Winn. I concur!
Tom Felten on March 10, 2015 at 11:12 am
Winn, I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 14:1-23. He encouraged believers to live in harmony even when they differed in their views of disputable matters. May God give us the wisdom to know which issues are disputable and which are tenets of our faith—things we must uphold. And may we show grace in our disagreements, revealing to unbelievers the love and compassion of Christ.