I woke up this morning to the unexpected scene of fluffy snow falling down. So, I did what I do every snow day, I made my morning coffee, and sat by the window to watch! As I am admiring each flake, I started thinking about how beautiful God’s creation is! The snow, the ocean, the mountains, forests, and whatever scene you can find, that brings a sense of instant joy to your life. I kept thinking about all the ways His creation brings me joy and then I went into a deeper thought session. As I was staring off into the distance, it hit me… How can we find so much joy in the naturalistic views of God’s creation and not get that instant sense of joy when we see another human? Now, I am not saying I don’t find joy in others, but hear me out… Each snowflake I saw this morning was a different shape, size, and form, yet, they were all snow. They all have the same purpose. They are each unique AND beautiful. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (NKJV). Humans are the only thing God created to have an image of himself. To go along with my example, we are greater than a snowflake because of this. How often do we let our frustrations pour out on undeserving and innocent bystanders? How often do you hear in the news that, another crime has been committed and innocent lives have been taken? How many times do we forget the beauty in Gods’ humankind creation? There are many beautiful ethnicities that God created and each carries the image of God. No one is more superior, because it is the same image we carry.

If you do not know me personally, you don’t know that I am a white female married to a black male. Together, we have 6 children, and each day I see these children, I am reminded of the beauty in them. Now, being married 10 years, my husband and I have learned so much about the differences in our ethnic and cultural backgrounds, while also learning that we have many similarities to those differences. Our values tend to be very similar. It’s how we cherish the same values that are typically different. Our marriage has taught us so much about God. The way He blended two totally different personalities and add the differences in our cultures on top of that has humbled us both. Unity does not and will not ever mean conformity. Instead, it means bringing our beautiful differences to the same table. If you haven’t studied 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, I urge you to find a way to read it! These verses explain how differences, such as a foot and hand, should come together and function as one body. This body is a reference to the body of believers in Christ Jesus. Once we understand all humans come from the same LEVEL playing field, we understand that the rich and poor, broken and whole, Puerto Rican and Mexican, Native American and Indian, Black and White, Chinese and Japanese, believers and unbelievers, and anything between is all image-bearers of God. It is through this understanding that we can begin to cross-cultural boundaries and embrace differences while unifying through love. Each of us… YOU… are beautiful to God and you are beautiful to me.

Prayer: God, thank you for creating such beauty all around us. Thank you for letting us find joy in the things you find joy in. I ask that we wouldn’t stop at nature when we find joy in your creation, but instead, I pray that we would be in awe of the beauty you have placed in each difference we carry. Let us begin to love the way you desire us to, break our hearts for the things that break yours, and give us an urgency to mend broken relationships. In Jesus’ name, Amen.