Articles
Different, But The Same
Are we really so very different? Perhaps there are some differences in the externals, but deep down we are pretty much all the same. We all have the same problem, sin. We all need the same remedy, salvation. If we are all pretty much the same, then let’s recognize it.
We all hurt. Who is there that has not been hurt by someone? Something said or not said? Who is there that has not been hurt by feeling left out? Who is there that has not been hurt by being ridiculed? We hurt and we are hurt.
We all suffer something. Maybe it is loss of a job, a parent, a child, or a mate. For New Testament Christians, it was the loss of their lives. While we have not come to that, in other parts of the world Christians suffer from oppression due to famine, despotic governments, and disease.
We all rejoice. We all have good things happen to us. A new baby is born. A job promotion. How about just finding a job? A marriage. A winning team. Truthfully, we have more to rejoice about than weep about.
I want us to see who we are, not the externalities surrounding us. Who we are in our heart, and who we are in our character? Can words and behavior reveal the heart? Yes, but remember none of us is perfect. I remember complaining to Dan Shipley one time, when we lived in Del Rio, about people. He stopped me and said Robert Turner told him, “Dan, after all they are just people.” People with the same problems, same needs, same desires for their children and marriages. God’s people with the same interest, same goal, and the same dreams of the local church.
Let’s stop just a moment and acknowledge the things in which we are alike. Satan wants us to amplify our differences. There is a book entitled, “The Things That Make You Different, Makes You the Same.” Stop and appreciate the likeness in a world that promotes chaos and confusion. That is not us! That is not who we are!
Rickie Jenkins
