“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.” – James 2:1
In his book “Shake Free: How to Deal with the Storms, Shipwrecks, and Snakes in Your Life”, Samuel Rodriguez wrote:
“I’ll never forget sitting in the guidance counselor’s office my freshman year in high school in the Lehigh Valley area between Philadelphia and Allentown, where I grew up. The purpose of our meeting was to discuss my vocational direction and the courses I should and hoped to take the following semester. Since our school was located in a mostly working-class area, students were placed into one of two groups pretty quickly: either you were smart enough and your parents wealthy enough that you were headed to college and a professional career, or you were not smart enough or your family wealthy enough for college, so you got a basic education and learned a trade.
“So what do you want to do when you get out of school, Sam?” the guidance counselor asked. “What kind of job are you thinking about?” “Well,” I said nervously, “I’m really into computers and hoping to study computer engineering at one of the state universities.” “No, Sam, I’m not kidding,” she said, genuinely agitated. “Your kind doesn’t go to college. You can work either construction or landscaping or get some other kind of service job.” That hurt.
Even though I had good grades that put me at the top of my class and I tested high on all aptitude and intelligence tests, this woman’s prejudice sent gale-force winds over the dream of a shy fifteen-year-old. And the worst part about it was that she seemed totally oblivious to the devastating power of her words. I knew two things when I left her office that day.
First, whatever I did later in life, I was going to make sure it wasn’t one of the three options she’d mentioned. While there’s nothing wrong with any of these jobs and the hardworking people who do them, I desired a different path. Second, I decided to work harder than ever to graduate at the top of my class. So being salutatorian when graduation day came gave me deep satisfaction!”
In all that we do, we should not show favoritism. Today in prayer, confess any sin of prejudice and seek to love others as the Lord loves you.
“It is never too late to give up your prejudices.” – Henry David Thoreau
God’s Word: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.” – Leviticus 19:15
Overcast, 60°
