Good morning, friends! As I’ve sat here contemplating what in the world to write about, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed to write about the world. We are living in a place of deep heaviness right now. We are bombarded by messages that are constantly dividing us and pointing out so many differences as if these differences are somehow bad or wrong.

You guys, we were created in the image of a creative God. We are not cookie-cutter men and Stepford women. We are colorful both in appearance and in personality, WE ARE MEANT TO BE DIFFERENT! There’s no mistake in the variety of people, cultures, and diversity on this planet. It was purposefully designed to be this way. This is the very thing that makes each of us beautiful.

Have you ever driven through a neighborhood full of houses that are all constructed to look identical? The monotony bores us after the first few homes. Sure there’s some appeal to the symmetry but there’s a loss of character in the midst of the sameness.

We NEED differences in order to promote unity. It’s the melting pot of culture, personalities, experiences, and voices that brings a culmination of one harmonious existence. It’s a reflection of what Heaven will be like. There will be so many different people from so many walks of life and we will be forever blessed by the experience.

Take my little Gwyn for example who is pictured in this post. She dressed herself yesterday as she does every day (fashion has become her passion as an almost-two-year-old). Her choices included a fancy dress, two headbands, an old Fitbit band on her wrist, and some colorful jelly sandals. She walked around all day telling everyone she encountered that she was ‘so cute.’ It didn’t matter if you or I agreed with her style, it wasn’t hurting anyone or offensive in any way. It was simply a reflection of who she is as a person and what makes her feel like “Gwyn”. She wasn’t asking the rest of us to follow her wardrobe choices, she just simply wanted us to embrace that the differences in her appearance made her feel special and beautiful.

Oh, that we can all feel this way! We don’t need to change how we appear to others. We need to embrace one another for the different colors and flair we bring to the collective big picture. A gray landscape is drab and depressing, but a peaceful world full of all the individualism that we can each bring to the table in our own ways - wouldn’t that be an incredible sight to be seen!

So please see the beauty in YOU, my friends. And see the beauty in others, too. May we find a way to move out from underneath this dark cloud of dissension and brighten the sky with every shade of brilliance we have to offer. The beauty of you, the beauty of me, the beauty of all of us combined can generate an amazing version of this life so full of hope, joy, and genuine love for every soul we encounter. Now THAT’s a wonderful world!