By Pat
From the time we are born until the time we die, at some point or another, we all have the "that's mine" mentality. Just watch children playing, and count how many times you hear the term "that's mine" either said, yelled or cried. We intervene. We tell they have to share; we remind them that's what God would want them to do. But do we sometimes need that same reminder?
In the Old Testament, the people fought constantly over their land, their countries. "It's mine!" Territories were guarded closely, and those who attempted to encroach upon another group's territory often found themselves asked to leave-and not so politely, either. Seems like things haven't really changed all that much, have they?
I intensely dislike, when navigating through an automated phone system, having to press a certain number to continue in English. Sheesh! It's America! Of course I want to continue in English. After all, that's the language spoken in MY country, isn't it? I have sometimes become resentful of small communities within larger communities where certain ethnic groups reside, sometimes clinging to the customs of their home countries, and this admission does not make me proud. And I know that I am not alone. But who do I think I am, proclaiming this to be MY country? Isn't it really God's WORLD? Yes. Is it.
And so I have been praying for God to change me, change my perspective and way of thinking and of the way I view other people. We are a world of many cultures, many languages, many races and many customs, but only one God; the God who created them all. We are all brothers and sisters living in one world created by the Master. Any walls or barriers that exist have been erected by us, not by God, and in order to live in harmony with one another, we must knock down these mental barriers. The Old Testament days are gone...we must share. I try now to see people not as any one ethnicity, but rather as simply God's children, and my country as God's world. It's NOT mine!
"Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10: 34)
Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.