I recently spent a week in Ecuador with members from our congregation. It was quite an experience. I have several thoughts and reflections but will only share one in this blog. At a later time, Scott, Katie and I will do a presentation at Bellwood.
My prayer for the week was to be able to experience God at work - and I did. Too often we have this idea that only people who look like us and talk like we do are God's people, but a memory that will stay with me is that no matter the color of a person's skin, we are all made in the image of God. In fact, Jesus wasn't even a white Anglo person anyway.
It is easy to make judgments about another person or group of people based on what we see on the outside, but once you take time to really know them, you see that they are not that different. We all have a need to be accepted, loved, and appreciated. We all have fears and anxieties. We all have a unique story that has brought us to where we are at this current stage in our lives.
It was good to be out of my normal surroundings and witness the grace of God because the people of Ecuador were so gracious and giving. Even though there was the language barrier, hospitality has no limits. I will have more to say in this week's sermon and plan to share along with Scott and Katie in a few weeks. Stay tuned. Until then, ask God to give you His eyes to see all people as created in His image.
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