Being brothers and sisters...

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"How great is the love which the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!"
~ 1 John 3: 1

While I wonder at the world God has created, working behind the counter at a coffee shop has reminded me that there are so many expressions of the image of God.

Each day I try to remind myself that each person that I meet, even when we don't look similar, speak the same language, or even believe the same things, are all children of God.

I would have to say that there are times when I meet someone that I think, "There is no way I have anything in common with this person."  But then I look beyond that statement and realize that every person I meet, seeks many of the same things I do.

To seek love, while hoping that each day there is good health, friends and family that surround me, and that my daily needs are met.. that I am fed, that I am safe from harm, and that I have peace.  I think that for most of us, one or more of these things might sound like something that we hope for, or share in common.

It seems that our identities are marked by many things, but ultimately, we are the children of God.  Even those that seem to be the most polar opposite from us!

The Divine is present in each of us.  From the first flutter in our mother's womb until we release our final breath, the presence and spirit of God is undeniably real.  Because of God's presence in our lives, never do we fully belong to the world.  It's hard to recognize this because the world has so many appealing things for us, but if we look much closer, we will discover that being a part of that world with all the ways that have been created to divide us, rather than unite us as brothers and sisters, keeps us from seeing our relationship with one another.

The world enslaves us with fear; the presence of God frees us from that slavery and restores us to the true relationship. That is what Paul means when he says: "All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons [and daughters] of God, for what you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, 'Abba, Father!'" (Romans 8:15).

I'm grateful to see each person as my sister and my brother!

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

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Dear Lord, help me to see each person I meet today as my brother and sister.  Amen.

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