Wednesday Wonder September 20, 2023

Do you have temperatures wars in your house? My spouse and I are rarely on the same page when it comes to what the thermostat should say at our place.

I love this time of year when the windows can be open, the fresh air flowing through as it will. While air conditioning and heating are necessary because in Canada we truly have four seasons, it is nice to have those parts of the year when you can simply open your windows and turn off the rest. Except, I am anticipating the request to close the windows because it is becoming too cool at night. This from the person who keeps telling me to leave the air conditioning temperature where it is and put on a sweater during the summer. Granted, I have put on my sweater and wool socks to sit out in the morning with my coffee and the birds who call my backyard home, and in the evenings while leaving the windows open, but it just seems different when the actual weather calls for it. Am I the only one?

God created us all with our differences. What temperature suits us, what foods we like and so much more. Don’t get me started on night owls versus early birds! While these types of differences seem simple, they simply point to the depth of diversity in the human condition. So, I have been wondering at what point both my spouse and I can agree on the temperature of the house? When do our differences actually become a similarity?

It is the same in God’s creation. We tend to focus on our differences. We want to find a way to limit diversity. Why? Perhaps, like with the temperature wars, it is because we want to be comfortable. Others and their way of being can make us uncomfortable. We like to be comfortable. We like the old and familiar. Learning and accepting differences can be hard work.

Having been raised in an area that was pretty homogeneous, differences in people was something I struggled with every time I visited my grandparents in Toronto. The people and things one might see on a simple trip on the subway! I had questions. I was uncomfortable. And I was curious. It was clear we were all people, so why were we all different? Let’s face it, even in our own families we know we are all different. But I think we tend to notice it more in the wider world.

A few years ago, I became friends with a family whose faith is grounded in Islam. My upbringing had not prepared me for this difference in religious faith. The most I had dealt with previously outside of the Christian faith were those who were Jewish. They had the same stories to help connect us. As this tentative friendship developed with my Muslim friends, we discovered our connections as many of the ancient stories were the same, but perhaps from a different perspective. We all see Abraham as a key figure in our faith story. We trace that connection in different ways. What an eye opener for me. Similarities instead of differences. That is how we build relationships. This is not just limited to those who may believe in different ways to us. It is how we can interact with all of God’s children.

I try to focus on making connections to help build relationships so we all feel we belong. We are all God’s children. We should celebrate that. We should celebrate all the ways in which we are both the same and different. For what a boring world it would be if we were all exactly the same. What would my spouse and I have to discuss some nights if not who needs to put on a sweater?

In the stories of creation in Genesis (yes stories, look it up there are two), when God is finished creating, God looks upon creation and pronounces it good. If God saw creation as good, and pronounced it so, who are we to disagree? No matter how I express myself in faith and in life, I am part of that good creation.

We need to remember God doesn’t make junk. God pronounced all creation as good. Let’s celebrate all the good we have and are.

Peace,
Rev. Mary-Jane