MEDITATION:
Written by Peggy Stackle from the Village Church.
Have you ever considered how amazing you are? Seriously. You move about freely, wherever you want to go and you’re not plugged in, don’t require gasoline or electricity or robotics. You think you communicate verbally, and you can sing. Well, OK, some of us can’t carry a tune in a basket but we have voice boxes. Even though there is much about us that is the same, you are unique. Even if you have a twin there is still something that makes you unique. Let’s talk about being the same. The one basic defining issue is that we are human beings. Dallas Willard says that we are “spiritual beings in physical bodies”. That separates us from everything else. There are other creatures, and we know that they all communicate within their species at some level. But we have voice boxes, and we can communicate with really complicated thoughts. We can
communicate prejudice and bias or acceptance and openness, we can communicate contempt and condemnation or approval and appreciation, and so much more. Imagine how boring life would be if we were all absolutely identical. What if there were only one kind of flower or one kind of tree? If every person and every culture were the same, what excuse would we have to travel? What could we learn from others if everyone were exactly the same? If you have more than one child in your household or know a family with more than one, those children, raised by the same two parents in the same location and conditions, more than likely, are totally different from each other. Most parents are grateful for that. That’s how we were created. Unique. I wonder then why we do not celebrate the variety and the differences in our many cultures around the world. Geography has a lot to do with how indigenous populations develop. Weather as well. These two natural elements figure in world views. In the biblical text, mountains were centers of devotion in the communities around them. In California, mountains in winter mean skiing, another form of worship. We need to expand our understanding and our experience of our neighbors around the world. There is much to learn. There are many to love. Let’s celebrate each other.
PRAYER:
This prayer is from the PrayRay prayer website.
Lord, I thank you because I am relevant in your kingdom. You, God made us all unique. Lord, please let me be the change that the world needs. Use me for the world, let me be the salt that will sweeten this world, and let me be the light that will shine in this world.
Pathways Press.com 