Show No Favoritism

A little girl, age 3, was riding in a taxi with her mother when she pointed to the driver and asked, “Mommy, why is he so black?” The mother noticed that the man’s shoulders stiffened at the question. She hastily searched for the right words that would satisfy both the driver and her daughter. “God makes people as He makes flowers in the garden, so the world will be more colorful. Some are white, some brown, some black, some yellow and there are all shades in between. That makes us all the more interesting to look at, don’t you think?” The little girl nodded, for this made sense. As they left the cab the black driver said to the mother, “Ma’am, when my little girl gets big enough to ask why some people are white, I’ll know what to tell her now. Thank you.” Oh, what a wise mother that woman was! She created light instead of darkness; trust instead of suspicion.

Shortly after a Cub’s game, Yusuf Dale, a blind man carrying a cane, was standing near the curb outside Wrigley Field in Chicago. He tried repeatedly and unsuccessfully to ‘flag down’ a taxi in order to travel home. Casey Spellman, from Indiana, was a stranger to Yusuf and was standing nearby with her friends. As she was talking with her friends, she noticed Yusuf’s failures to obtain a ride. Casey walked over and asked him if he needed some help. He graciously accepted the help. After a few minutes of waiting and pleasant conversation, a cab pulled up to the curb. They exchanged goodbyes and hugs. Unbeknownst to Yusuf and Casey, Ryan Hamilton was on a rooftop nearby, watching the situation unfold. Ryan was so impressed by Casey’s actions that he took pictures and posted them to social media. He was appreciative of Casey’s act of kindness, even though he did not know her name. Both she and Yusuf were later identified when the pictures went “viral.” I have often thought that the modern day concept of “reality” is invalidated when, in so-called “reality shows,” at least one of the participants knows the camera is present. The awareness of that camera invariably affects subsequent actions. Casey, as far as I know, had no such knowledge; she apparently just wanted to help. She was not acting for a camera and was surprised when made aware of the photos.

[James 2:8-13]  “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’, you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law and are lawbreakers...” When the national media showed up in ‘God’s Country’ looking for the whiners and complainers, and the bashing of government for the lack of support, they couldn’t find any. When they looked to report on the looting and all the crime turned amuck because of the lack of police presence, they couldn’t find it. In several cases reporters were told if they weren’t here to help, go away! Jesus knew that some people of his day did kind things, in the presence of other people, that they normally would not do. Further, he knew that some of those same people did those things in order to be praised by others. Speaking of such people, he said, “...I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full...” (Matthew 6:1-4). Hundreds of thousands of Texan’s saw an immediate need to help and rescue their fellow Texan’s following Hurricane Harvey, which now millions continue to support this very day and will into the future, not for the glory, but out of compassion and love. No news here, we’re just being Texan’s. There’s no sitting around waiting for someone else to do it. We practice our creator’s compassion and love, “...For God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:5-11).