I had the opportunity to spend the week in Jamaica with some friends. As you might imagine, Jamaica attracts people from all over the world. Over the week, we met people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life.
And we were different. We spoke differently. We liked different foods. We laughed at different things. We had different traditions, different experiences, and different ways of looking at the world. And yet, somewhere along the way, something struck me: For all the ways we are different, we are remarkably the same.
We laugh. We worry. We love our families. We want our children and grandchildren to be okay. We enjoy sitting around a table with good food and good conversation. We want to be known and loved. And something even deeper: we’re all created in the image of God.
Genesis 1:27 says:
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.”
Think about that for a moment. Sometimes our world seems determined to remind us of everything that separates us. Where we come from. What we believe. How we vote. How much money we have. What color our skin is. What language we speak. What generation we belong to. God could have made a world where everyone looked alike, sounded alike, liked the same foods, told the same jokes, and had the exact same personality. But He didn’t. And that reminds me of an old gospel song, “When we all get to heaven…”
Revelation 7:9 describes:
“a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.”
Every nation. Every tribe. Every people. Every language. Can you imagine that? Heaven won’t look like a room filled with people just like us. Maybe it will look a little more like what I experienced in Jamaica this week. Different accents. Different stories. Different backgrounds. Different faces. But one family. One Father. One Savior. And one incredible celebration. And what a day of rejoicing that will be.