“We told her it was wrong to believe that the white people were somehow essentially superior to the black people, or the brown, or the red, or the yellow ones for that matter. People who thought that way were wrong to think that way…sometimes hateful, usually stupid, but always, always wrong.” William Rose, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner After a particularly large merger where I worked, thousands of people needed to learn to work together. As many organizations as possible had face-to-face meetings to meet the remote people they would be working with. At my meeting the leaders conducted an exercise, calling the people from one company "Blue" and those from the other company "Red" corresponding to the colors of their former company logos. It failed in its attempt to have us recognize our similarities and appreciate our differences. In fact, it had quite the opposite effect. It separated us into factions and began years of name-calling: “Pre-merger Red” or “Pre-merger Blue.” In essence it introduced segregation. It began the labeling of individuals with mistaken interpretations of the other company’s practices, policies, and procedures…in other words: it established prejudices. For years the merged company suffered from these problems. Only after years of working closely as individuals did the notion of our former company affiliation lose importance. As we worked on projects with each other, helping each other, and supporting each other in our common goals did we drop labels and name-calling. It breaks my heart to see a world divided by prejudice. Different areas in the world divide people groups differently. Some separate by the color of their skin, others by their religion or nationality, others by their social or economic standing, and still others by boarders and politics. But the one that hurts me the most is the political divisions; pitting families, friends, and neighbors against each other. I sometimes need to be reminded that God created us man and woman. He created us tall and short. He created a variety of colors of skin, hair, and eyes. But He didn’t create companies, countries, or governments. We may have different company backgrounds, different cultural history, and different political views, but are we that different...really? Have you been influenced by well-meaning people that have unwittingly caused a separation between you and others around you? Are you tired of the strife and name-calling? Will you take the first step to see people as individuals and not label them into groups?
Lord, thank You that we all are the same when it comes to our desire to live free and prosperous lives, leaving a better world for the next generation; even if we believe differently on how to achieve freedom and prosperity, and how we define ‘better.’ Amen “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united…” I Corinthians 1:10 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: William Rose (1918-1987), was an American screenwriter who wrote screenplays for British and Hollywood films. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 1967 ground-breaking film, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
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“…we have to strip off from our idea of God some human attribute. But the only real reason for stripping off the human attribute is to make room for putting in some positive divine attribute.” C.S. Lewis Shortly after I became a Christian my younger sister, Joyce, began to disciple me. After learning the importance of daily prayer, I remember saying—with the hubris of a child—that "I am praying in the morning when God isn’t as busy.” The confused look on Joyce’s face caused me to continue with, “...since most people say their prayers before going to bed.” Joyce laughed, not at me but at the innocence of my desire to find a time when God wasn’t so busy. First she reminded me that it was morning and evening somewhere on earth every hour of the day. I felt silly. As a twenty-seven year old woman, I should have thought of that. I had returned to the patterned thoughts of a child, from when I was first introduced to prayer. Next, Joyce explained a completely new concept I had never considered: whenever we call on God in prayer we have God’s undivided attention. It is only us humans who are limited to concentrating on one thing at a time. All this time I was putting God in a box by putting human limitations on Him. It was hard to grasp the concept at that time…and still today I just take it as one of God’s many attributes that define His deity. But, I have never again been concerned about the time of day I pray, where I pray, who's watching, or whether or not God hears me. Have you ever questioned if God hears your prayers? Do you feel that if you don’t get what you asked for, it’s because there are too many other people that have more persistent prayers or more important requests? What other human limitation are you ascribing to God that diminishes your faith and trust in Him? Lord, may I always remember to speak to You in prayer with the confidence that You hear me and that I have Your undivided attention. Amen “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites....pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Matthew 6:5-6 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, lay theologian, lecturer and Christian apologist. He held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities (1925-63). Although most all of his published works (in four genres) are still in print, he is best known for The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, Mere Christianity, Miracles, and The Problem of Pain. |
WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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