Last night I watched a move called “Sweet Bean,” a Japanese production that was not fast paced nor did it sport quick and verbose dialogue. It required you to slow down and become involved in the feelings and emotions of the three characters. It caused me to question and try to reason through why people are born into more or less privilege – why some are abused and taken advantage of because of stigmas that are assigned to various disorders or circumstances. It was one of those movies that causes you to become more philosophical than you might be normally. While I believe that is good and should be a part of everyone’s life, it is not a place where you can take up residence. Otherwise nothing gets done.

As you know, over the years, I have taught you that there are biases against everyone – the good, the bad, the rich, the poor, the privileged, the unprivileged, the attractive, the ugly, the talented and the handicapped. If you don’t think you have these biases, go to an airport, train station or any mass gathering and tell me you can go through the whole experience without having an “opinion” about some of the people you encounter. I say that because, I too am guilty and hate that part of me. The truth is that we will never be able to see through other’s eyes or understand their life experiences, yet we are expected to approach others without preconceived notions or prejudice.

So my question today is simply this: “How is it that God can look at all people and see them equally and not show partiality?” (Acts 10:34 – 35, Romans 2:9 – 11). This becomes even more complicated when we know that (as humans) no one is really “deserving” of God’s favor, grace and impartiality. (Ephesians 2:1 – 6) I’m not sure that what you will read will answer that question conclusively, as I am not sure I have “solved” that issue for myself. Hopefully, we can begin to reason through the capacity that God has that we are not afforded. With that thought in mind it will require that we depend on the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and a desire on our part to be more like Him.

Since God and the God Family alone are omniscient and omnipresent, They have the capacity to look at every person in context of their lives and circumstances. As I have mentioned before that is why the name Jehovah Shammah (God is present) is assigned because they can reach into time from outside of the dimension. They are able to have all the puzzle pieces that we are not afforded. We are working with limited information and have limited capacity. However, in these circumstances we must realize we are working at a deficient and there is a process to follow to get your answers. That process is:

1. Ask questions – This is the one area most of us fail in – especially believers. We do not take the time to measure and compare them to God’s standards which is spelled out in 1 John 4:1 and 1Thessalonians 5:21 – 22. This is not something that is optional, as we might want to believe, it is a directive and this is why we are deceived or distracted from the right path.
2. Evaluate the context – While it is true that some people appear more or less advantaged than others, appearances are deceiving and rarely a reason for jumping into a commitment. While I am not saying that someone who is handicapped (and that can take in a lot of ground) should not be provided consideration, it is hardly an indication of their motives. Some people use their condition or circumstances to manipulate others.
3. Rely on the responses to your prayer and questions – If you diligently seek answers you will receive them (Matthew 7:7) and be able to make correct decisions (2 Peter 1:3). Talk to the Spirit (in your mind) while asking the person questions – the answers will come.

Love Dad