The Way We Did it as Kids
We have been involved in choosing sides all our lives. On the playground, in kindergarten, on sandlots…The techniques have varied.
One I remember as a kid involved having two “captains” alternating choices. Everyone was chosen according to their skills or beauty. The best got chosen first. Then came to others … in order of their perceived skills. Some were chosen reluctantly… others not at all. Of course, it was better to be chosen last than not at all. At least we belonged in some way. Hopefully, we would belong to the winning team.
I suspect we all have memories being chosen, ranked, or not even chosen.
Thank God God Doesn’t Do it That Way
It may have been overlooked in the readings today. St. Paul tells us. “God chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world.” God doesn’t choose on the basis of talent or any other distinction. God has a much simpler approach. God simply chooses and chooses everyone equally.
Just in case we missed the message, He spells it out specifically. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. He even repeats it almost word for word.
But knowing how deeply ingrained it is for to want to be on the winning team and ranking higher than others, He goes even further in 1 Corinthians 12:
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
We are part of something that’s bigger than we are. That should give us a sense of real significance. We’re not alone; rather, we’re part of an organic entity of human beings, part of a heavenly family that will never die. We are not called the persons of God; we are called the people of God. None of us suffers or rejoices without it having an impact on the rest of us.
God plays by different rules. Choosing up sides doesn’t make sense in God’s world. God’s embraces us each with the warmest and widest of hugs. Maybe Wayne Dyer, a popular psychology writer, got it right. “You can’t choose up sides on a round world.”
How Do We Choose?
- Are we still choosing people by playground rules?
- What would it be like if God operated by the rules skill ranking?
Praise to our Lord who loves each one of us immensely and unconditionally. As a poor athlete,I never played sports well and was chosen last,at least most of the time. It’s great knowing that God,on account of Christ’s Atonement, picks each of us first. WOW! Only our Lord,who is totally crazy about us,collectively and individuals,can do this!
Love to all from Jo and myself!
Ed Ambrose