I was hanging out with Thomas today and he asked to go to the park. That’s pretty awesome, seeing how he has a lot of his daddy in him, and he’d be just as happy to sit around playing on the computer all day as he would be going outside.

So, we decide to head down to Relay Park here in Petal.  When we got there, there we no other kids there, so he and I just kind of ran around goofing off.

Then, other kids started coming, and I kind of slipped back and let him play and watched.

And something happened that is true at all time with our kids. They just started playing. Three two other little boys, both around Thomas’ age came up and just had the best time together. They ran, they climbed, they fell down, they just had a blast.

They didn’t know each other before. These three little boys were each different in race, dress, and outward appearance. That didn’t matter, though. Because they were too busy playing.

I think looking at our differences first is something that we adults do. I can’t be friends with you, you are part of a different denomination. Or church.  Or class.  Or race.  Or political party. Or theological group.  Or whatever.

Not that these differences are unimportant or can be papered over. Yes, there are things that divide us.  There will always be.  That’s just the way it is.

But, to these kids, that didn’t matter. They just wanted someone to play with.

As adults, particularly as Christian, we have a lot to learn from that.  If Jesus is what unites us, He is so much greater than our differences.

If we focus on what we disagree on, there is no hope for unity, or even working together. But, if we focus on what unites us, Jesus and His grace and salvation, we see we have so much more in common than we could ever imagine.

I had a blessing watching Thomas to play. And as I grow older, I sure hope I can be more like him.