Colored People

I’ve taken some time to talk about preachers that I’m not like, and preachers that I don’t like here in this blog. My pastor made a comment on one of my entries noting that if the kingdom isn’t big enough for those people we don’t like, then it must be a pretty small and closed kingdom. I’ve been thinking about the way the kingdom relates to people who aren’t like us.

There are so many people who aren’t like me. I’m young. I’m not rich. I’m not poor. I drive a car. I’m single. I’m employed. I’m bald. I’m white. I wear glasses. I’m short. I “play the drums.” I’m a youth pastor. I’m a Christian. I’m loud. I’m emotional. I’m a Star Wars Fan. I’m a Yankees fan. I’m a die-hard Cougar. I’m a Miami Dolphins fan. I’m a passionate follower of the Ohio State Buckeyes. I’m also moderately interested in hockey and the NBA.

All that to say, I’m unique.

The fact is there aren’t a lot of people who are like me. There aren’t a lot of people who meet all of those criteria. I am one of a kind. What is really beautiful is that you are completely unique too.

There is room for each of us in the Kingdom of God. There is room for the person who has trouble seeing God in a new way. There is room for the person who struggles with what he really believes. There is room for each of those people. That amazes me!

I’ll admit, sometimes I struggle seeing people the way God does. I see people based on other things. I see race. I see gender. I see clothing. I smell them. I hear their language.

I confess; I don’t always see people for being people. But, I believe that God is teaching me, and I hope he’s teaching you to see people for being people. We are a colored people, and they call us the human race. We’ve got a history so full of mistakes; and we are colored people who depend on a Holy Grace.