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b'When I lived in Peru for a few months, some days I felt like I didn\\u2019t belong. I was a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, one-armed American. I stuck out among my Peruvian neighbors. No matter how many people welcomed me into their homes and their city, I knew I was different.\\nThis experience has given me new empathy as I consider my own neighbors. We don\\u2019t all look the same. We don\\u2019t all speak the same. We don\\u2019t all wear the same kinds of clothes or enjoy the same traditions or eat the same foods. But these differences in appearance and in culture are not something to be ashamed of\\u2014they are something to be celebrated. When I was a teenager, I wish I would\\u2019ve learned to see diversity as a celebration of God\\u2019s creativity.\\nI love Revelation 7. Even in a book that can be challenging to interpret, the diversity of God\\u2019s people could not be clearer. In his vision, John sees people from every nation, every tribe, and every language worshipping Christ and crying out, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Salvation belongs to our God.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nOur God. Not my God. Not the God of this one country or people group. Not the God of people who only speak a certain language or celebrate certain traditions.\\nOur God.\\nThe story of the gospel is so much greater than what we can wrap our minds around. God came for all people who will give their lives to love Him. The differences between us are a celebration of His creativity.\\nSo how can we look down on those who are different? The love and respect we give others shouldn\\u2019t depend on where they\\u2019re from or what language they speak or their political perspective. What matters is how we love people, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Because in the end, we all stand before the same God\\u2014the Resurrected King who gave His life to save and unite us to Himself and each other. \\u2022 Becca Wierwille\\n\\u2022 How can we celebrate diversity as a witness of God\\u2019s creativity? \\n\\u2022 What are some ways we can love each other well and see God in every person\\u2014people who are like us and people who are different? (We\\u2019re all made in God\\u2019s image, so non-Christians can also reflect aspects of God\\u2019s nature! Though not to the same extent as Christians, who are God\\u2019s children and have the Holy Spirit.)\\nAfter this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne\\u2026 Revelation 7:9 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nPs.9.1|Phil.4.12-Phil.4.13|Col.3.17'