Embracing Those Who Are Different

Embracing Those Who Are Different

Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.

We looked around the sanctuary and realized within moments that this would be different from what our little family was used to. My husband and I had been sensing for a while that we were to start attending the church attached to a local shelter in our town, only two blocks away from our house. We walked there the first morning, not sure what to expect.

There were single men sitting off to one side of the room and elderly women in the middle. Several single moms with children and a few other families were interspersed throughout, people representing all races and walks of life. As the music began, I saw some stand to join the worship; others sat slumped as if beaten down by life. Children ran across the front—and all the while the pastor stood, smiling, while he praised God.

And I’m not sure why, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. As I watched the people around me join in song about overcoming struggles and trusting God for everything, I got the sense that they understood the full meaning of the words they were singing, and it overwhelmed me.

My husband and I have continued to attend this little church every Sunday since. It’s not what we’d previously known, but we’ve found budding friendships with those who are very different from us in this new space, and that just feels right.

When I look around at the varied people in our gathering space on a Sunday morning, I catch a glimpse of what God sees. Our differences don’t matter—our backgrounds, our families, our races—all of us who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. We can create bridges with and embrace each other, knowing that God does the same for each one of us.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Reach out to someone in friendship who, on the surface, seems different from yourself.