When I was growing up, I found some photos in my grandma’s buffet. I didn’t understand what they were so I stuck them in my pocket and set off to find her. I needed an explanation. The pictures were of two water fountains with a sign over them. One said “White”. The other said “Colored”. I didn’t get it. There was no difference that I could see. When I found my grandma, I showed her the picture and asked her what was the difference between the two water fountains. Grandma took the picture and saw what it was. Her shoulders slumped and she looked at me with a sadness around her eyes. She sat down in the rocker and pulled me into her lap.

“That was taken in Cleveland when your aunt was teaching there. This is a sad thing in the world. There are places where they keep people separate because of the color of their skin. They won’t let them eat together or drink from the same water fountain or even use the same bathroom. But I want you to know something right here and right now. That is not right! People are people. It doesn’t matter where they’re from, what they believe, or what color they are. The good Lord made all of them. So, don’t you ever let me see you treat anyone badly. Do you understand me?”

I may not have understood the complexities of discrimination in the late ’50s, but I certainly understood my grandma and her brand of unconditional love. I grew up colorblind. I was raised with the admonition that judgement is totally reserved for God. I wasn’t perfect. Of course I judged. We all do from time to time. But I’ve always tried my best to emulate my grandma.

Our society is very much “us vs. them”. We categorize, compartmentalize, sort and label people. By their appearance, politics, beliefs, sexuality, and perceived “place” in the hierarchy of society. I don’t watch TV at all, so it becomes much more obvious to me. I believe television, movies, electronic games, and social media desensitizes and normalizes behaviors we normally would not abide with. It’s harder to see the similarities between us when the rhetoric is loud. I honestly try to see both sides of every story. It vexes me these days, but I do try.

I stumbled upon this Danish TV commercial and loved how it looks at us as human. With vast differences and often surprising similarities. I don’t know what the answers are. But I do know I try to love everyone with a Christlike heart. It’s the best I can do, I’m afraid. ❤️

“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19:34‬ ‭ESV‬