Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Diversity & Grace & Wisdom




For almost all of my life most of the social groupings I’ve found myself in – Church, school, work, friends, and family – have enjoyed a healthy degree of diversity. Sometimes it’s been immediately apparent, and other times it just takes a little bit of awareness to appreciate it.

It doesn’t take a very deep scratch under the surface of society in much of the Western world to get to a rich tapestry of ethnicities, cultural & social backgrounds….a mixed marriage here, time spent living in another culture there…we are all a kaleidoscopic mash up…and I like that! We are the richer for it.

Some time ago I wrote about the particular mix in my place of work, and if I were to list the nationalities today, it will have shifted again. It’s a dynamic organic thing, and I love it.

So, this excellent post from Eric Bryant goes some way to explaining some of the reasons why I find a tribe like the perfectly named Mosaic so captivating. This community of Jesus followers have dealt with this diversity with such grace and wisdom…it’s inspirational.

Eric’s closing point says it so well…

“Diversity reveals God’s heart. Our world is more and more diverse. In fact, people are more diverse themselves. Rather than just a mixture of European cultures, Americans are a blend of Latino, African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and European – sometimes all in one person. The path to diversity begins with the mission of Jesus.
When we choose to reach out and love all of those around us, we will experience a glimpse of heaven on earth.”



Beautiful…

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