I’m struck, in the last several years, by photos from around our ‘global village.’ I’ve been ‘feeling’ the emotions in each, without considering the location where the photo was shot, and I’ve arrived at what I guess is an obvious observation – the emotions are identical in every setting, every language group, every culture. At weddings, at a baby’s birth, at a homecoming after a long absence, at graduations, or at funerals, after the devastation of war, tsunami, earthquake, fire, the facial expression of those in each photograph reveals the same emotions. We are emotive people, we human beings, perhaps expressing certain of our feelings in a culturally specific manner, but nevertheless, expressing them. Joy has a look that brightens the face. Grief, too, transforms a face in clearly identifiable ways.
Traveling recently provided opportunities for ‘people watching’ as air travel requires your presence at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight. Maybe that’s to give lots of time to that very pursuit. Airports are a great place to see the excited returns from a trip and to catch a quick glimpse of tearful goodbyes. Even more, it’s a rich time to see weary families as they cope with whining, crying little ones who just want to be home in their beds. Now! And large international airports provide a generous cross section of earth’s inhabitants to make those observations.
These noticings make it clear that we are, indeed, made in one Image, one Likeness, and that God, our loving Creator, loves infinite diversity. He never seems to tire of making us over and over and over again, in His Image, with His breath of life, and with endless uniquenesses. What intricacy! What unfathomable pleasure it must give Him! What love He instills in each of His children! It makes me think of a Sunday School song we used to sing: ‘ . . . red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.’
A toddler just sees another toddler and sits down to play, regardless of differences. Not communicating because of language differences is irrelevant. Sharing the Image is the magnetic thing that matters. You know, maybe toddlers know something they can teach us. Maybe they know Shalom better than we and instinctively give it away. Maybe we should! PD
Don graduated from Regent University in 1988 and moved to France for seven years, coming back to the US briefly to marry Sue in 1990. The work in France included working in a Christian School and helping plant a church before returning in 1995. He’s been pastor of Peninsula Vineyard since 1999. He enjoys counseling, especially married couples, traveling back to France (with Sue), reading, doing Sudoku puzzles and sleuthing out good, dark chocolate. Don serves as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Church Peninsula, in Newport News, Virginia.