Appreciate Rather Than Discriminate

Sitting on the patio while writing this post was the fruit of my labors yesterday, after an early morning seeing after the chickens, donkeys, goats, and longhorn. I’m always amused to see the donkeys and goats all bedded down in close proximity to each other at night but when it comes to feeding time, they want their own space. The donkeys come into the stall and I close the door behind them so they can relax in their own space. They eat in comfort and peace – away from those over-excited goats.

What’s hilarious is when the donkeys are through eating their grain and hay, one of them always opens the latch and they go out the door with a sense of satisfaction. The goats, on the other hand, also want their own space. The three Nubian goats are much larger than the five smaller, horned goats – yet the horned goats can be quite aggressive at meal time and they show their muscle and horns, to assure their reservation. They have attitude-plus! But at some point in the night, all 11 of them come together as “family”. I’m singing that song “We are FA-Mi-LY !”

That "picture" of family came to mind when I was enjoying that cloudy, cooler morning on the patio. I checked my email and read Dr. Jim Denison’s email for yesterday. His column began with “Racial discrimination is in today's news after the shooting of a teenager in East Pittsburgh. Religious discrimination has been in the news with the recent Masterpiece Cake Shop Supreme Court ruling. Gender-based discrimination has been much-discussed with Saudi Arabia's recent decision to allow women to drive. Discrimination is a fact of life in many cultures around the world. Now there's a new kind of discrimination in the news. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has served as President Trump's press secretary since July 2017. She made headlines over the weekend when she was refused service by a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia. The issue was not her race, her religious commitments, her gender, or her social or economic status. It had to do with her political positions. In her job, she explains and defends the president's beliefs and actions on various issues. Sanders was asked to leave the Red Hen specifically because the owner and some of her employees disagreed with some of these political positions.”

Discrimination isn’t new to our world. I remember how awful it was in the 60s when my brothers and sisters of color were discriminated against and were refused to eat and drink in various restaurants and water fountains and even to use "white" restrooms. History is riddled with discrimination. Even our Lord experienced the worst discrimination possible that nailed him to a cross. But in the midst of discrimination, Jesus spoke these words: “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44) Who is our enemy? It’s easy to adopt the familiar us-versus-them distinctions, especially if we spend most of our time with those who agree with our religious, political, cultural, and value beliefs.

Yes, we are all different but we are all equally loved and treasured by our Heavenly Father. Every encounter we have with someone should be seen as an opportunity to get to know another member of the family of God. There really is common ground to be found. All these farm animals have an innate desire for belonging. I see it manifested in their togetherness at nighttime. In the chicken pen, (pictured here) are three camps: the older, egg-laying hens and rooster; the younger brood and rooster, and the two ducks. In the daytime, outside the coop, they hang out together in their own little circle of friends, but at nighttime, all the chickens share the comfort and protection of the coop and the ducks inside the fenced area of the coop. Those animals found common ground.

Common ground starts within us. We are all created in the image and likeness of God. We are all His children. We all have the same basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, education, and love. Apart from those common features, we share many similarities with others.

Dear Lord, please help us to appreciate rather than discriminate; to love rather than hate; to reconcile instead of debate. If your animal kingdom can share common ground, surely you can help your children to find common ground that moves us closer to the answer of your Son’s prayer: “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” John 17:21