Things that inspire me #1

This is my first in what I hope will be regular installments of sharing with you things that inspire me.  As I mentioned before, inspiration is what I'm after in life. Inspiration, to me, is that spark that motivates me to try something new or different. It's that ooey, gooey peaceful feeling that washes over me when I see something beautiful or share an amazing moment with a friend. Inspiration is what drives me to a life "outside the box." To a life and a calling beyond just the regular routines and expectations.  Inspiration points me to God and reminds me that He's at work on me and in this big world. Inspiration prompts me to just exhale and take in what's around me. To stop striving and to just rest in the goodness and serenity that exist in lots of things, moments and people.

So, here goes...

Have you guys seen this video?  It's well worth the 10 or so minutes you'll spend watching.

I know the themes of the video were political, but that wasn't what inspired me.  As I watched, my heart was absolutely moved for this group of people. They way they are searching to reconnect to their identity. The way they have lost hope, but not completely. Can't you sense their hunger? Can't you literally feel their desire to be understood and accepted just as they are?

You wanna know why that inspires me?

Because I can relate. If we're honest with ourselves, I think we all can.

You see, I may have been born into the "majority," but I've felt misunderstood.  I've struggled with anger and felt the sting of betrayal.  I've wished and prayed that my circumstances could be different, but they never really changed.  I've been hopeless.

I'm inspired because even though there are lots and lots of things that make me different than this group of people, there are also lots and lots of things that make us alike.  That, to me, is God's handiwork.  It's a reminder to me that God made us all alike (in His image) so that we could relate to one another.  So that we could help one another. That's amazing to me.

I hate it when we emphasize the things that make us different.  She's skinny, I'm fat.  He's smart, I'm dumb. They're loved, I'm forgotten.

Or the worst ones: I'm right, you're wrong.  I'm better, you're worse.

My prayer is that we would show God's love to people by putting aside the things that make us different and focus on the things that unite us.  We're not poor people and rich people, white people and black people, sick people and healthy people. This video inspires me to remember that we're all just people.  People with lots in common, the first of which is the longing in our hearts to be loved and accepted.  I think if we offer that love and acceptance in Jesus name our world will change dramatically.