"Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals
see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the
heart." 1 Samuel 16:6,7.
Over the holidays, Nellie, the girls and I, went to see a fantastic
movie called "The Great Debaters," based on the true story of the
Wiley College debating team. Every United Methodist should go and
see this movie just for the simple reason Wiley College is one of
ours. It is a historic black college based in Marshall, Texas. The
story is set in the heart of the depression, during the days of Jim
Crow laws, and the terrible treatment of African Americans. A
forward-looking professor believed the college could produce a
debating team and found those students that made Wiley a champion
among champions in debate. If you read the conference's newspaper,
The Witness, there was a blurb in there about Denzel Washington, who
produced and stars in this movie, planning to give $1 million to
Wiley College.
The movie also serves to remind us that we should be getting along
better with one another than we are. Here we are in 2008 and I wish
we could say that racism is a thing of the past, but it's not. We
make decisions and treat one another based on our outward
differences. Shame on us. Not one of us was asked at our conception
if we wanted to be what we were at our birth. And not any of us are
rich enough to try to surgically or medically change that either.
Okay, Michael did, but he's rich enough. An interesting part of the
movie was when this professor tries to get bigger, non-Black colleges
to debate them, and it hurt to hear that Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, was one of the first to turn them down.
Whether that was true in real life, it may not have been far from the
truth during those days.
The above text comes when the prophet Samuel was set by God to anoint
the new king of Israel and once in the house of Jesse, Samuel begins
his visual inspection of each son and believes the tallest and
handsomest would be the king. What a realization to hear God
say, "Sammy, you got it all wrong. I don't look at people the way
you humans do, I look not at the outward appearances, I look at the
heart." In other words, God had examined the heart of the tallest
and handsomest and oldest and youngest, and I know which one is to be
the king.
When did you begin to know the difference between you and others not
like you? Was it something you learned or did it just come to you?
Was it because you knew the heart or just because the outward
appearance was different?
God calls us to love one another, and guess what? That comes from
the heart not the skin. This Sunday was one of thost historic
moments in family history, our granddaughter was carried to the front
to join in, as best she could for being ten months old, the
children's sermon. Carli carried her down and I naturally was glued
to that beautiful little girl that is part of a new generation of
Valverdes and Cortez. She brought with her a mirror that she likes
to play with and as soon as Carli sat on the floor, Sarita begins to
hand it to the kids around her. I could hear her say in her own
language, "Would you like to play with my mirror?" In English it
sounded more like "gish?" One little child took it, smiled at her,
looked at the mirror and handed it back. That only made Sarita look
towards the other child closer to her and again hand it to him. This
was Keith Irwin and Keith took it, opened it, smiled at Sarita and
handed it back. I would venture to say that of all the children in
that sermon setting, not one yet makes a difference between
themselves and others based on outward differences.
PRAYER: Loving God of all people, grant me Your mind, Your eyes, and
Your heart, that I may indeed love others. Help me to unlearn what I
may have learned that serves no good purpose. Make me truly Your
child. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals
see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the
heart." 1 Samuel 16:6,7.
Over the holidays, Nellie, the girls and I, went to see a fantastic
movie called "The Great Debaters," based on the true story of the
Wiley College debating team. Every United Methodist should go and
see this movie just for the simple reason Wiley College is one of
ours. It is a historic black college based in Marshall, Texas. The
story is set in the heart of the depression, during the days of Jim
Crow laws, and the terrible treatment of African Americans. A
forward-looking professor believed the college could produce a
debating team and found those students that made Wiley a champion
among champions in debate. If you read the conference's newspaper,
The Witness, there was a blurb in there about Denzel Washington, who
produced and stars in this movie, planning to give $1 million to
Wiley College.
The movie also serves to remind us that we should be getting along
better with one another than we are. Here we are in 2008 and I wish
we could say that racism is a thing of the past, but it's not. We
make decisions and treat one another based on our outward
differences. Shame on us. Not one of us was asked at our conception
if we wanted to be what we were at our birth. And not any of us are
rich enough to try to surgically or medically change that either.
Okay, Michael did, but he's rich enough. An interesting part of the
movie was when this professor tries to get bigger, non-Black colleges
to debate them, and it hurt to hear that Southern Methodist
University in Dallas, was one of the first to turn them down.
Whether that was true in real life, it may not have been far from the
truth during those days.
The above text comes when the prophet Samuel was set by God to anoint
the new king of Israel and once in the house of Jesse, Samuel begins
his visual inspection of each son and believes the tallest and
handsomest would be the king. What a realization to hear God
say, "Sammy, you got it all wrong. I don't look at people the way
you humans do, I look not at the outward appearances, I look at the
heart." In other words, God had examined the heart of the tallest
and handsomest and oldest and youngest, and I know which one is to be
the king.
When did you begin to know the difference between you and others not
like you? Was it something you learned or did it just come to you?
Was it because you knew the heart or just because the outward
appearance was different?
God calls us to love one another, and guess what? That comes from
the heart not the skin. This Sunday was one of thost historic
moments in family history, our granddaughter was carried to the front
to join in, as best she could for being ten months old, the
children's sermon. Carli carried her down and I naturally was glued
to that beautiful little girl that is part of a new generation of
Valverdes and Cortez. She brought with her a mirror that she likes
to play with and as soon as Carli sat on the floor, Sarita begins to
hand it to the kids around her. I could hear her say in her own
language, "Would you like to play with my mirror?" In English it
sounded more like "gish?" One little child took it, smiled at her,
looked at the mirror and handed it back. That only made Sarita look
towards the other child closer to her and again hand it to him. This
was Keith Irwin and Keith took it, opened it, smiled at Sarita and
handed it back. I would venture to say that of all the children in
that sermon setting, not one yet makes a difference between
themselves and others based on outward differences.
PRAYER: Loving God of all people, grant me Your mind, Your eyes, and
Your heart, that I may indeed love others. Help me to unlearn what I
may have learned that serves no good purpose. Make me truly Your
child. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
