When I was young (many moons ago) and growing up, my parents, especially my mother, taught me the value of the dignity of every individual. Everyone mattered because they mattered to God. True, I grew up near Pittsburgh, a melting pot city of different nationalities, races, and religions. We even had our own language called “Pittsburghese.” Even today at the age of 72, and having been away since I was 18, I still speak some of that special language. 🙂 I had friends of all colors, nationalities, and religions. I honestly wasn’t much aware of the differences until I was older.  I remember wondering why Catholics didn’t eat meat on Friday. But I also didn’t care. I saw the different spelling of last names that (I now know) spoke of past relatives from places like Czechoslovakia, Italy (yours truly), Germany, and parts unknown. In high school the “Black Power” riots arose and several of us would stand in the school lobby and look out the windows as former friends fought. The group was made up of Jeff Goldblum (Jewish); Bruce (a young black man who dreamed of playing violin in the Pittsburgh Symphony); John (a Catholic young man who wanted to be a doctor…and succeeded); and me (a white Christian who wanted to play professional baseball or basketball but who ended up as a pastor). All different but we didn’t care.

The word I would use is RESPECT. We had respect for each other. I didn’t know Jeff wanted to be an actor. I didn’t know John wanted to be doctor. I did know that Bruce wanted to play violin. But those things didn’t matter to either of us.

As I have mentioned before I have been reading several books helping me to understand the need for a ministry to special needs people. This past weekend I started reading Same Lake Different Boat by Stephanie O. Hubach. She and her husband’s second child was born with Down Syndrome and she tells how she found herself wrapped in the special needs ministry. I’m reading now about Respect and she says this, “Being pro-life is about what we are for, not what we are against.” (p.52) She is not talking about pregnancy centers or that issue. Stephanie goes on to write this: “We honor the image of God within when we serve a neighbor who has AIDS, when we meet the needs of our spouse with cancer, or when we care for a family member with dementia. The concept of the sanctity of life is immense and broad, and it motivates us to engage others in God’s name in whatever we do.” (p.52)

Each person should matter to us because they matter to God. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight” is what we used to sing.  The image of God is what it is all about. We are all made in His image. Let’s respect that and treat others as we would like to be. I believe I know SOMEONE who modeled that.