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What We All Have In Common
When it's my day to pen something for this post, my sincere prayer is that I offer something encouraging to help others along their journey. Today is no exception.
As I sat in several airports for several hours the past two weeks, I got to see a cross section of just about everybody in our society. From outward appearances, most physically looked and dressed similar to me, who I consider "Joe Normal". Many had different looks, some easy for me to swallow, some not so much, but my taste is not necessarily the same as the next person, nor am I suggesting it's better or right, it's just mine and what I've chosen for myself, as is theirs. My wife's favorite color is purple, but I'm not ready for it to be her hair color just jet.
When we see people that don't look like us, it's very easy and I think somewhat impossible not to ponder on our potential differences. Would we have anything in common with them? What are they like? That started me thinking.
Without a doubt, people have less in common from a physical and sociological standpoint with others who are living drastically different lives based on different beliefs regarding life. When we encounter people who are obviously drastically different than us, we probably would not agree totally on many things we discussed, politics, or religion, or a whole lot of life's daily stuff. Simply looking different certainly doesn't determine right or wrong, good or bad, and we must be careful not to think that way. But because we come from different backgrounds, cultures and experiences, different cities, different nations and parts of the earth, we are not going to think exactly alike and possibly quite differently altogether. What we know and are comfortable with would differ from them and their ideas. They might not like my accent, my country, my culture or even my hair color. Would I like theirs?
But in the face of all that we would not have in common, what do we have in common? For sure, the majority of the world contains people with which we would share some common ideas and practices. The world keeps getting 'smaller' every day.
We all have the same basic physical and spiritual needs, regardless of what we see as the answer to those. All our bodies age, all are susceptible to illnesses and injury, all need the same food, shelter, clothing and necessities of life. We all need to be wanted and loved, and all experience emotions and pain. We could stay here and list a page full of things we have in common physically.
In a spiritual sense, we also share common things. We are all sinners, and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) God loves each of us equally, as He is no respecter or persons. (Acts 10:34) We all need to be saved from our sins, and we all must travel the same one road to salvation. (Eph 5:4) We have a common Savior, who gave His life for all, (John 3:16, Rom 5:6) not wanting any to perish, no matter who they are or what they believe or what they look like or what they say or practice or where they live. No, He wants all of us to come to repentance, (2 Peter 3:9) and through our obedience of His teachings, be cleansed of our sins through the washing of His blood in baptism, to be saved by Him and be added to His family where we will share even more common things. (Acts 2:38,47)
While we are on this road of life, let us remember that the person next to us that doesn't look much like us, may not think or believe anywhere near like we do, and may act totally different than us, still ultimately needs the same thing we do, Jesus Christ. There are many roads we may choose to be on as we walk this earth, but contrary to what some preach, there is only one road to Heaven, and everyone, regardless of our other differences, must travel that road to arrive safely in our Father's Heavenly dwelling. "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
