We're different.

My 'first world' problem of the day is while using the microwave, our unequally matched coffee mugs get the contents hot at different times. While one has a foaming boil, the other cup is just starting to steam. Gaaa, why is this such a trying thing for me???

Several differences may be contributing to my dilemma. One cup has different pigments mixed into the ceramic. These cups have different circumferences and each has a thickness unlike the other. Regardless of my frustration, these cups will always hold about the same amount of liquid but not likely ever bring them to brewing temperature at the same time. They're different.

I am a people watcher. I could spend hours sitting in a busy mall or thoroughfare and simply watch people living life and interacting with their world. I am always amazed at the diversity in humanity. We are short, tall, slim, husky, and everything in between. We have hair colors of all sorts, our eye color follows suit. Our faces are round and oval. Never mind the uniqueness of our fingerprints and retina design. Our skin pigment and complexion are quite broad in hue and textures. Our mannerisms all speak a different language and our formation years have cemented certain values and norms into our personality and relating style. We're different.

In the midst of all these differences is a God conversation just waiting to happen. Why would God create such a humanity that doesn't look or think alike? It would be a little weird if we all looked alike, talked alike, thought alike, and well you get the idea. Humanity, as it is, does allow us insight into the image of God that holds such a vast amount of variety. God is different.

No matter what kinds of differences we see in humanity, God has the same kind of love toward me as toward you. It may be a stretch for us to consider that God desires to bring all of humankind into the Kingdom of God (Matthew 18:14). We might ponder the condition of the world and choose to excise some folks and people groups out of the equation. Surely, God would not allow them into the Kingdom. Yet, God's holiness and justice through Jesus Christ allows entrance for all. The only qualifier God uses for us is whether we believe in Jesus Christ, his death, and his resurrection. Check it out.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not

perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to

save the world through him." (John 3:16-17, NIV)

Good to know that we are not in charge of deciding who gets into heaven and who is left out. Many times I see and hear folks speaking with harsh words and venomous tones toward others. Hopefully, one day we will learn to look at another person and see the God image within them so that our interactions and how we treat them will reflect how God looks at us and treats us. In this regard, we are alike in that we all possess the image of God.

Let our words be ones of grace and salvation through Jesus and less about condemnation which happens to be the first language of Satan.