Red & Yellow, Black & White...

Moses wants to come to school.

They are precious in His sight. 
Jesus loves the little children of the world. 

I don't really know exactly where to begin today. So, I'm just going to type and see where it goes...

News channels, magazines, Facebook, newspapers, Twitter, and Instagram seem to always be filled with the latest reports of people acting against someone different from themselves. 

Beliefs. 
Race. 
Gender. 
Age.
Politics. 
You name it...someone has done something malicious. 

It's heartbreaking and it is NOT OKAY. 

I can hardly stand to watch the news or scroll my Facebook because it's honestly so depressing and it makes my heart sad to know that people would act in such ways. 

God created us to be in relationship with people -- and not just people that are like us. He created us to be unified in His name. Serving Him TOGETHER as ONE BODY. 

"Diversity is a gospel matter." 

This quote comes out of a devotional written by Kristin Schmucker titled Chosen: A study on the book of Ephesians. I've been using it to help guide my quiet time and this morning's devotion really hit me. In today's devotional studying Ephesians 3:1-13, we read about how the mystery of salvation is revealed and why. 

Verses 1-6 state:

"For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles -- if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel..."

The gospel and salvation are not for a limited people. They are for EVERYONE. 
"...should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise..." 

We are ALL invited to take part in the gift of grace, love, sacrifice, and glory that is a part of salvation. Every race, every nation, and every person is welcome. 

Verses 10-11 goes on to say, "...to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord..."

The author of this study, Kristin, did the research and found that "manifold" means "many colored" in this passage, helping to point us to the diversity that should be found in church. (Schmucker)

This isn't by accident. Verse 11 tells us that this is part of an ETERNAL PURPOSE. Y'all...this isn't just life on earth. This is eternity that we are talking about. God has made this mystery (salvation) known to ALL people. Not just the "chosen people" -- we're all chosen! He wants us to join in giving Him glory and helping others to reveal this mystery for themselves.

Another reason diversity matters to me!

Now, why did all of this strike me? 
Even though I'm in Haiti, I've seen the news reports about all the heinous attacks taking place. 
Additionally, living in a country where I am the minority, I see a different side of the whole diversity thing. It's a growing trend for many Haitians to assume that all "blans" (or Americans) are racists. It hasn't always been this way. This belief started over the last few years - which I might add is when things seemed to pick up in America surrounding these issues. It's truly sad to me that someone would assume that I'm a racist because of my skin color.  

We have to do better. This devotion served as a reminder to me that we are called to be united in Christ. We are to be a light in this dark world, and a picture of the love of Jesus. We should be reaching out to others off all ages, races, and ethnicities. We shouldn't limit ourselves to people who are "just like me." We might learn a thing or two along the way. I know that I sure have. Are you willing to step into the gospel and step into diversity?

With love,
Caitlin

We made a live map in English to practice giving directions.
They're trying to get to the eye doctor aka the box of glasses.

Modaline takes care of Moses every morning while
the rest of us work. Moses LOVES her and she loves him.
They have a very sweet bond.

If you are interested in a good series of devotionals, I highly recommend checking out www.thedailygraceco.com. They have lots of great studies of which I've done several.
(This is not an ad or a paid advertisement. I just like sharing really good resources!)  :) 


Schmucker, Kristin. Chosen: A Study of the Book of Ephesians. Crossway, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001.