Read: Acts 10:28, 34-35; Revelation 7:9-10

“What color should I use next in this afghan, Melanie?” Aunt Lizzy asked as she finished knitting with yellow yarn.

“Use the purple yarn!” said Melanie. “That’s going to be so pretty when it’s finished. It has so many different colors.”

Aunt Lizzy nodded. “Yes, and a lot of different kinds of stitches too.” She began adding the purple yarn. “How’s school going this year, Melanie?”

“Pretty good. There are a few new kids in our class this year. Miguel is from Honduras. He’s nice, but he doesn’t know English all that well yet, and some of the kids laugh at him when he says things in Spanish instead. There’s also a new girl from Vietnam—Anh. She brings really interesting food for lunch, but some of the kids make fun of it. And Zahid is new too. He moved here from the Middle East, and he’s been having a hard time making friends.”

“Hmm,” said Aunt Lizzy. “It sounds like some of the kids at your school think it’s okay to make fun of people for being different. I wonder if they’ve thought about how different they would seem if they went to the places Miguel, Anh, and Zahid are from.” She paused. “Melanie, if God were making an afghan, do you think He’d use just one color or a bunch of colors?”

Melanie looked at her aunt in surprise. “Well, I’m sure it’d be pretty either way, but…” She hesitated. “God used lots of colors in nature, so I think He’d do the same in an afghan. All the colors make it extra pretty and more interesting.”

Aunt Lizzy smiled. “I think so too. After all, He used many different colors and patterns when he made plants and animals—and people!”

“You mean like those kids at school who get teased?” Melanie asked.

“Yes,” said Aunt Lizzy. “God made every person in His image and loves them all—enough to send His Son to die on the cross for their sins. Instead of avoiding or making fun of people from other places or cultures, He wants us to embrace them and point them to Jesus, who gave His life so people from all over the world could worship Him together one day in heaven.”

–Teresa M. Beverly

How about you? Do you enjoy having friends who are different from you? Or do you avoid or make fun of anyone who doesn’t look, speak, or act like you? Each person in every part of the world is made in God’s image, and He loves them all. Together we display His creativity and point to the great love Jesus showed us all by dying for our sins. When you encounter people who are different from you, appreciate them and show them God’s love.

Today's Key Verse: God began by making one man, and from him he made all the different people who live everywhere in the world. Acts 17:26 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Embrace differences in people