Right or Left

Chocolate or Vanilla? Rap or Country? Pizza or Sushi? These may (or may not) be easy decisions when there are only two options. But what if we start adding in hamburgers, tacos, cookies and cream, coffee, or a million different other things? Some you might love and others not so much, but it’s much more difficult to declare an absolute best when you realize just how many options there are. We all have our personal preferences when it comes to food, style, music, etc., but it’s hard to deny that countless other good options exist that may be someone else’s favorite, and that doesn’t make them wrong.

This got me thinking about something called a binary system. A binary system is a system that involves only two specifics options, like a “yes or no” question. You can only answer yes, or no. There is no in-between, no third option, and no room for compromise. It’s a simple yes, or no. Some things in life function really well in a binary system of thinking. For example, is it ok to mistreat someone because of their race, or make fun of their ethnicity? I hope we all agree that’s a hard “No”. It’s not ok. In case you’re not really aware, that’s active racism and it’s hurtful and terribly wrong. Is it good to feed and care for the needs of your children? Probably a unanimous yes on that one. When we start talking politics, philosophy, religious denominations, or even football, things can get a bit more complicated, and it’s in these areas that we need to be careful of a binary system of thinking.

When we draw hard lines in the sand with people, we force them to choose one of the limited options we give them, which often leads to arguments, division, and sometimes all-out war. In case you haven’t noticed, God is very creative. Like snowflakes, each of us is uniquely created, but we are all created in the image of God. That means that even the co-worker you can’t stand and that sister-in-law that bugs the crap out of you are made in the image of God. They are reflecting a part of him that may be totally different than you. And that’s a good thing. We aren’t all alike and we don’t have to act, think, speak, and believe all the same things. We are created in the image of love, so let’s spend less time dividing over things we don’t agree on, and look for the beauty and goodness in each other. You just may start to see love in places you never thought to look.