God's Variety

      I love to watch people in all their infinite variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and decoration.  It's a great way to pass the time at an airport or to relax while sitting at a mall.  To me, it is akin to birdwatching or going on a scenic drive so I can enjoy the wonders God has made.  This hobby is one of the things I inherited from my mom.  She also liked to sit and watch people but if one of her sisters were around, they also like to comment on them in Norwegian which I neither speak nor understand.  Perhaps because of that, I didn't get into the habit of people watching as an exercise in judgment.
       It's a very common thing to do, to comment on what someone is wearing, or how tight their pants are, or their hair, etc.  Sometimes it is complimentary but more often than not, it's negative.  The judgment is often based on stereotypes, gender or racial or class bias.  Young people hear it from elders; "My mother wouldn't have let me out of the house in something like that".  All of this judging is often based on the attitude that there is a right or better way and that being different is seen as a negative value.  It is amazing to me that when we look at he scenery around us, we are amazed and refreshed by the variety around us: the leaves turning color or multitudes of blooming wild flowers but when we see the same variety in people, we react negatively.
       There are many ethical, moral, spiritual reasons not to engage in such judgment of each other.  It is divisive, hateful, demeaning, destructive and often leads to or is the excuse given for much violent behavior.  When we participate in the judgment of others who are different or when we stand by in silence when others are belittled, we hurt others and destroy community.  We can share basic values and ethics without requiring everyone to be alike.
       Just as there is an amazing variety of animal and plant life in the world, people too are different.  For me, enjoying the variety is a spiritual exercise in learning about the nature of God.  It is not about the judging others by our biases; it is more about the vastness and complexity of God.
       I go back to the first chapter of Genesis, verse 26: "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness".  And going on, it records, "in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them."
       Our diversity as people is not only intentional; I truly believe it is part of what it means to be created in God's image.  Even that which is created in God's image is different from the every beginning.  People are fragile vessels, we are incapable of holding, containing, or even naming the divine creator and yet we are each made in God's likeness; our very differences are reflections of the vastness of God.  Instead of seeing our differences as faults to be brought into line with one another, we should celebrate and give thank for them; they are gifts from God that make us stronger and benefit us in community.
       Are we imperfect reflections of God? Yes; our imperfections are both inside and out, how we are made and affected by the choices and chances of our lives.  And yet we are beloved by our creator, forgiven and redeemed.  I know for myself, I have learned the most and become stronger not only in spite of but sometimes because of the very parts of myself I tend to see as imperfections or faults.
       Our different gifts and abilities are together what gives us strength and beauty as a community.  God created a world where no two trees are alike, each one grows according to the sun and water it has received and is shaped by the wind and exposure, and the room it has to spread gain height.  So too, each of us is different from the beginning and then affected by and shaped by the circumstances and world around us.  May God help us to see each other as belonging to God and to recognize and celebrate our different gifts.  Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-7