We Are All God's Children: Embracing DifferencesCampione

The Need for Proximity

Jesus’ life was marked by proximity. John 1:14 (NIV) says the Word (Jesus) “became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Choosing not to remain at a distance, Jesus descended into the messiness of humanity and subjected himself to pains and hardships every human experiences. Jesus was proximate to the poor, women, disabled people, and those considered social outcasts. Jesus’ life and ministry personified what it means to live out theology through proximity.

We see how God was at work through Jesus in the way that God allowed him to arrive in humble conditions, with the inadequacies and vulnerabilities that came with being human in first-century Israel. Despite his humble arrival, Jesus was still an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-present Savior. And while Jesus was a man without sin, he was also a person who wept when his friend died, and sympathized and empathized with those who hurt. Jesus touched lepers who were unclean, ate with sinners, and spoke one-on-one with people like Nicodemus instead of only speaking to people like himself. Jesus went to those who had much need, lived among them, sweated with them, conversed with them, and broke bread with them. Every part of the body mattered because every part represents a child of God’s creation.

For us, one way to get close to those we have never met is to take time to understand people through the lens of what has impacted them, in their personal lives but also historically. It takes a person who cares to sit with, stand with, and be intentional about understanding what justice issues affect those who are different from us. Getting proximate enough to understand the why behind an issue can motivate us to make a commitment to stand with people whom God loves. In addition, living in proximity with others is life changing not only for the recipient but also for the giver.

Prayer

Father, encourage me to be proximate to people who may emerge from another social location. Help me to see the pain in their eyes, to notice how others might respond to a policy problem differently, and to understand how the person before me is your child. Aid me to learn how the world might be seen from someone different from me. Move me to stand with that person against any injustice that might be threatening their life. Amen.