July 12 Favoritism vs. Love

By Anonymous

 Theme: Loving others without prejudice

As a child growing up in Tertularia*, I was taught that Jallerines* were to be feared and distrusted.  You see, Tertularia was made up of several races; however, the two largest groups were the Jallerines and the Hostovals*.   Persons of these races were suspicious of each other and while they interacted publicly and even attended the same churches, they often made negative comments about each other in the privacy of their homes.  During times of crisis in Tertularia, leaders of each group would make insinuations about the other group, posters and graffiti with derogatory comments would appear on old buildings and persons would make bold accusations on talk shows.  In the privacy of my home, through comments made by my parent, I learned that the Jallerines thought that they were superior to the Hostovals and that they would try to put us down whenever possible.  These comments were reinforced in talk shows that were played on the radio. 

As I grew up, I tried to resist these views, as I did not consider myself to be prejudiced.  But one day, when I was visiting another country, I eagerly greeted a Jallerine from my country, who responded coldly.  I felt rejected and told myself, “Never again will I reach out to a Jallerine!”  This was compounded by some negative experiences of discrimination that a young Hostoval relative experienced at the hands of a Jallerine teacher and classmates.  These experiences reinforced the idea that Jallerines were not to be trusted and should be avoided at all costs.  Of course, this meant that my friends and associates were generally Hostovals. 

But one day, God caused my paths to cross a Jallerine.  Through this Jallerine friend, I learned that Jallerines 

• Are people who have grown up in homes just like mine, being taught to see others through prejudiced eyes; 

• Experience pain, heartbreak and family problems just like Hostovals.  

• Have hopes and dreams and celebrations just like Hostovals.  

I learned to go beyond the category to get to know the person.  

James tells us, “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?” (James 2:1).  You may have grown up in a family, like mine, that actively taught you to be prejudiced against others of a different race or background.  You may have personally had experiences, like mine, that taught you to despise or avoid persons who were different.  But God is able to re-teach us.  He can transform how we see, how we feel and how we treat the Jallerines of our lives.  

Prayer

Dear God, Creator of diverse races and nationalities, thank You for Your love for us all.  Heal us from the pain of prejudice and discrimination that we have experienced.  Re-wire our minds so that the prejudice that we have been taught, would be transformed into understanding and acceptance.  Help us to love as You love.  We look forward to the day when we will all live together in Heaven as one people – your children.  Amen. 

*The name of the country and the races have been changed for anonymity.