Back at the church I attended in North Carolina, there were two people who were about as different from one another as could be. A woman I’ll call Jean was about 65 at the time and she had been a school teacher. She was open-hearted and curious, always willing to be a comforting presence for others in hard times. She loved to joke and to put people at ease. Then there was Bill, God rest his soul. He used to say, “some people are like oil on the water. I’m more like a burr in the saddle.” And then he would laugh to himself – every time. He was a good ol’ Southerner and there was nothing Bill liked better than to argue with people – especially about their faith. He was an engineer and for him things were black or white; right or wrong.
Back then, I had the pleasure of teaching a Sunday school class that both Bill and Jean attended. One morning, we were talking about global hunger and poverty. We were wondering how it was that some people could have so much while others had so little. Grappling with the dramatic differences in the places we call home, Jean mused, “Why were we born where we were?” There was a moment of silence while everyone considered how easily we could have been born in war-torn regions or places without access to health care. Everyone except Bill. After Jean had said, “Why were we born where we were?” he replied, “Because that’s where our parents lived.” And for him that was plenty; case closed. Bill and Jean stared at each other in disbelief that the other one had completely missed the point and the rest of us just laughed. Where would we be without each other? What could we learn if we didn’t have each other to learn from? Bill and Jean and you and I – we all have different experiences and talents, skills and insights. Not one of us can see the big picture – understand everything that goes on; only God can do that. This is why we are called together to be in community – because we each hold some wisdom, some gift from God, some passion that serves neighbor and worships the Almighty.