Variety the spice of life?

We have several trees in our back garden, so not surprisingly the garden has an autumnal appearance at the moment.  Fallen leaves are providing an attractive, multi-coloured carpet.  I did take a photo but, as is so often the case, the resulting image didn't really do justice to the reality.

Though the leaves are similar, in reality each one is different, and together they had formed what seemed to me to be an enchanting early morning scene.  Variety lies at the heart of God's amazing creation.  Certainly variety is one of the elements of my role as a Methodist Minister.  Sometimes the contrasts in what I do are noticeable.  For example, one day this week I spent the morning visiting an elderly person who is nearing the end of their life; in the afternoon I was at one of my churches as we hosted a large group of very young children from a local school.  One of our church members has died recently, and it is possible that I will be asked to take the funeral service.  In contrast, I have an appointment in the coming week to visit a couple who would like their baby baptising.

Without variety, the resulting monochrome life would be so dull and boring.  The old saying, "Variety is the spice of life" contains much truth.  With Sue being away part of this last week, I had a go at cooking one evening.  Without going into too much detail, the results were disappointing, to say the least.  I may not be a chef, but even I know that ingredients like spices and herbs, when added to dishes, can make such a difference.

Yet the sad reality is that we human beings sometimes struggle with variety, especially when it comes to other people.  We may fear anyone who is "different;" we can be suspicious of anyone who sees things differently from us.  It seems to me that at the heart of so many of the problems in the world today lies the failure to embrace and accept those who are "different."  One of the mantras of today's culture is "tolerance", yet the ironic thing is that we are so poor at tolerating differences!

We have seen that so clearly recently with the US Presidential election, and before that with the EU Referendum.  We just don't seem able to disagree in an agreeable manner.

The 12 disciples who followed Jesus appear to have been a very diverse bunch.  As one commentator points out, "Jesus could not have picked a more diverse group of men to accomplish his divine purpose. By human standards, the Twelve had very little in common with one another - one unpredictable fisherman, possibly one with a bias against Nazareth, a fanatic Jewish nationalist, a despised tax-collector, a sceptic/pessimist, two “Sons of Thunder” with explosive tempers, and a covetous betrayer."  And yet Jesus command to them was "love one another."  He called them to work together and find unity in their diversity.

Variety isn't always easy to deal with, but it is so beautiful.  Let's not fight against it, but let's embrace it and celebrate it as part of God's amazing plan and purpose.