No too long ago, my satellite radio was affixed to either CNN or FoxNews to catch up on the news of the day. Every time I settled into my car, I would have a chance to hear what was going on right now in the world, and I had repeated this practice for a couple of years.
Like many, I decided to turn the channel around the time of our most recent election as mud slinging from both sides reached a fever pitch. I noticed that I was more agitated, more angry every time I got out of my car.
Each side wanted me to believe that their side was right and the other side was the enemy.
Democrat vs. Republican.
Right vs. Wrong.
White vs. Black.
(you get the picture)
Much of our current news sources and cultural movers want you to believe that all of life is binary. You are either for ___________ or against it. [you fill in the blank]
Our current racial debate assumes that there are only 2 camps….you are a despicable racist, or you are not.
The current sexual revolution debate assumes that you are either homophobic or completely accepting of same-sex relationships.
You are either conservative or liberal.
You are successful or a failure.
And the list goes on.
As we look at creation, though, life is rarely so coldly binary that we fall into either 1 camp or the other.
God created not only in multiple colors, but different hues of those colors….in a spectrum. Grass can be many different shades of green, the sky can have subtle changes in it’s color as the day goes on. Our hair color changes, eyes are different, and even our skin color is not just black or white, but a beautiful spectrum of colors.
You see, a spectrum assumes that there are unlimited combinations and hues in a color pallette, a discussion, or even a political persuasion, but it takes effort to absorb all of those possible subtle distinctions.
It’s so much easier to just label people as one way or the other, rather than taking the time to get to know them, to listen to them, and to fight the urge to label them as one of you, or one of the enemy.
As followers of Jesus, we become attuned to noticing the nuances in life, the shifting patterns, and we recognize that we are all created with similarities and differences.
You can look at the world through binary glasses, but we can only see it’s beauty when we open our minds and see the spectrum that God has created in all of humanity and the world.
Mark Love
Lead Pastor