Colourblind

I was reading a friend's status this morning on facebook and I had to laugh.  Instead of retelling it, let me just quote it:

"Tucking [my son] in- [He] pulls up my bangs and says "mom, look at that nice "blonde" hair...here...and here...and lots more here..." - totally had a straight face and was serious! Didn't want to break it to the kid that he was really looking at grey:) he IS colour blind;)"

What a sweet sentiment this creates for those who are aging gracefully.  For the rest of us, we can just laugh and appreciate the heart of the child.  But this got me thinking.

I've been reading through the book of Job in my devotions lately and currently I am at the part where Job is sitting down with his three friends and they are constantly bombarding Job with how he must have sinned in order for the wrath of God to be poured out upon him like this but that cannot tell Job what he has done wrong.  They offer suggestions, but through their eyes, he has sinned.  Job on the other hand, maintains his righteousness and just wants a conversation with God asking why is this all happening to me.

I have been on both sides of the fence.  I have seen the things going on in people's lives and wondered what they have done to get themselves into the state of where they are at and ignorantly assumed it was their mistake.  I have also seen where people have seen something happening in my life and assumed that I had done something horrible to get myself into the situation that I was in.  No matter what a person has done or what they are going through, we are called to love people and appreciate them for who God has created them to be.  We need to stop focusing on their external situations and start focusing on the person.  We need to be colourblind.

God has called us to, "Love your neighbour as yourself"(Luke 10:27b).  Luke goes on to recount the parable of the Good Samaritan who helped his arch rival despite his circumstances.  No matter who the person is, what they have gone through or are going through, we need to be loving them the way that we would want to be loved ourselves.  We need to be colourblind.

If you are going through a difficulty today, I pray that people will be colourblind to your circumstances and come and help you in whatever way they can.  Likewise, if you know someone that is going through a tough situation today, may you not see the grey in their hair, but may you help them reach the blonde that you see in their life.  May you be the person who speaks encouragement in their time of trouble.  May you be colourblind.