I am slowly learning new things about God; about myself; and about my relationship with Him and with others.
God is a God of diversity; a God who loves diversity. If we consider the godhead, the Trinity, we see that perfection comes in three distinct, different, forms - Father, Son and Spirit, bound together as one in mutual love and support.
When we look at creation, we see diversity. I've often wanted to include a couple of my photos of dragonflies in this blog - this is my chance. The first is a Common Darter (sympetrum striolatum); the second is a Ruddy Darter (sympetrum sanguineum).
They are similar - superficially so similar that, the first time I saw the latter, it took time before I realised that it was a different species (it's much easier, believe me, to see the differences in photos than it is in 'real life'). Their behaviour, food, habitat, are similar - though in the U.K., the Ruddy Darter isn't found as far North as the Common Darter. Each individual in each species is subtly different too. Each has different life experiences too - as can often be seen by the 'wear and tear' to their wings.
Humans are all different too. Somehow, I had always imagined that resurrected, perfect, humans would somehow be 'uniform'... That, in the old imaginary picture, we would all be issued with the same robe, harp and wings, and we would sing on identical clouds.
But now, I realise that God likes, no, loves, diversity. What that means is that He doesn't want a 'clone army'. No, He specifically wants a relationship with each of us. He wants you; he wants me. Each with our own uniqueness. He loves each of us equally, but He does not love us the same. He loves us with our differences. Equality is not sameness; He is three different persons unified in one complete whole; unity is not uniformity.
I have often thought that I want to be like John Dart (the 'elder statesman' in our church) - not because of his longevity (he's turned 105 this year), but because of the way he engages with people of all ages, because of his godliness, because of his wisdom. But I realise that that isn't who God wants me to be. God wants me, Phil Hendry, with all my unique characteristics and abilities, just as much as He wants John Dart.
Striving to be someone else; being a dedicated follower of fashion; being a clone; is not what God wants from me (nor from you) - he wants me; he wants you - with our differences intact. That is almost incredible. It is also amazingly affirming and liberating. I am free; I have God's permission to be the me I am meant to be. I am precisely what God wants, when I am in full and perfect surrender to Him.
God bless you!