The world is on fire with the spectacular colours of autumn. a feast for our eyes, free just for the looking. I took this picture through my study window. A maple resplendent in winey red, straight and tall beside our younger maple, sporting its bright yellow gown, even as it struggles to stay alive. Trees and bushes everywhere deck out in fall finery, each one different, unique. I am so glad that God loves variety.

Many cry out for a homogenous world. Those who do think it would be best if we were all the same.  It feels more comfortable to be with people who think and look like us.

In planned reforestation projects, the trees are all planted in rows. All are the same species, “monocultures,” as the saying goes. Thereby, some of the beauty disappears. There is something regimented about the sameness, even though, if we look carefully enough, each tree is still unique.

Actually, when we look carefully at human beings, we recognize each one of us is unique, not just in how we look, but in who we are. Children raised in the same family with the same set of parents can be widely different, inside and out.

The beauty of autumn reminds me every year of how wonderful our world actually is, how amazing is our God’s creativity. Bigotry is such a waste of time and energy. The variety in color, culture, beliefs that is being stirred together as our world becomes smaller can only add to the wonder and beauty that is humanity.

Thank you God for your love of uniqueness and variety. We are truly blessed.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” 1 Corinthians 12: 5-6