We read about the story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. In just a few short verses, humanity went from being one cookie-cutter people to being a tossed salad of sorts. It went from being monotone to being symphonic.
It all started with a grand plan. Into the middle of this huge building project that seemed to be going so well, God tossed a monkey wrench that turned things upside down. All of a sudden, the contractor couldn’t understand the architect, the plumber couldn’t communicate with the electrician, and the interior designer had no idea what color the wallpaper was supposed to be. Chaos reigned as one language became many languages. By necessity, the project was abandoned and everybody went off to sort themselves into different groups based on whom they could understand.
Why do we so often seem to think that God likes monotony? Why do we assume that God wants everything to be the same as everything else? Look at a field of wildflowers! Listen to the cacophony at your birdfeeder! Walk into a florist shop and allow your nose to be assaulted (in a good way) by the different aromas emanating from the different exotic flowers! It should be quite obvious that God loves diversity. Why, then, do we who are created in God’s image seem to have so much trouble with such diversity?
God’s grace comes to us through the diversity of everything in creation – birds, flowers, plants, animals, colors, smells, tastes, ethnicities, cultures, ideas, ways of being, and more. When we try to make conformity our goal, we are denying the grace of diversity. When we consider one kind of thing as superior to another kind of thing, we are denying the grace of diversity. God has given us this amazing gift, yet we seem to want to stomp it out of existence.
I think one of the biggest ways we spit on God’s gift of grace in diversity is through those nasty little -isms: racism, nationalism; sexism; ageism, etc. That’s why it is so important that we confess our sin of -isms and allow God to transform us. God does transform us. God does not conform us. God doesn’t want us all to be alike. God gave us our uniqueness, God values that uniqueness, and God wants to use our uniqueness for God’s good purposes. How can we learn to value our own uniqueness and the uniqueness of others? How can we learn to value this amazing gift of diversity?
Get to know people who aren’t like you. If you don’t understand their language, figure out how to communicate beyond spoken words. Explore other cultures. Stop condemning the store clerk with a nose ring and find out who she really is. Ask questions. Watch documentaries. Take a walk and see what all there is to see. Get to know your neighbors, especially those least like you. Enjoy the babble. It is a gift from God.
Rev. Joyce Day
If you would like to view past editions of Grace for the Journey, follow this link: https://sounddistrictnc.org/category/grace-for-the-journey/