“Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness, and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.” ~ Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is right on a spiritual plane, but this is far from reality on a worldly plane. In the times of DNA testing, companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe.com have thrived from people discovering their ethnicity. Some incredible stories have materialized as a result. Relatives find other relatives, children, and their biological parents united, and myths about their family history debunked. For the longest time in my family, we believed that our great grandparents were part Cherokee Indian. After a DNA test, there is no trace of native American blood. Our breakdown is 25% Irish, 40% English, 34% European Mix, and 0.1% Other.
“Our people don’t come in parts. Either you are Indian, or you are not.” ~ Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE
This wise native American shares much truth. You are, or you aren’t, which is it? You are either a child of God or not. If you are a child of God, then that means everyone else is too. If this is true, then what both the Dalai Lama and Nippawanock, ARAPAHOE share is meaningful and authentic. Despite our exterior, at our core, we are all the same. Our skeletons are the same, the color of our blood is the same, and our bodies function in the same way. Yet, we treat people less than. We even go as far as to dehumanize people who don’t look like us on the exterior. If we are all God’s children, then what must happen for us to accept this truth and start acting accordingly?
God’s children don’t come in separate parts. Either you are a child of God, or you are not. If you claim God to be the Creator of all people, places, and things, then what must change in you to become one among many and treat others accordingly?
Lord, thank You for creating the world and all living creatures. Please help me shed this delusion and myth that we are not all the same or equal. Because of my privilege, I turn my eyes away from others who on the exterior look different, but indeed they are not. Please forgive me for my extreme self-centeredness and the harm I have caused others, either directly or indirectly, because of my actions. Please grant me the willingness to accept everyone for who they indeed are, one of Your children and my sibling. In Your Spirit and Name, I pray these things. May Your will not mine always materialize, now and forever. Amen.
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