Diversity is the New Buzzword

Diversity seems to be the new buzzword. Please, don’t misunderstand. I’m not being snide. Recognition of diversities should have been happening for centuries, but I have to wonder, how long will the buzz last before the noise wears down and a new buzz begins? And is it what we think it is?

Diversity and Sensitivity have a New Meaning

I ask for your forgiveness because this mountain gal is about as unrefined and politically incorrect as they come–and not because I’m trying to be belligerent–but because I simply can’t keep up with the continual changes. Today it’s one way, tomorrow it’s different. I’ll be honest. I turned the news off in 2020 and I’ve hardly watched it since. My ignorance comes from not keeping up with the national news. Still, when I had to choose between my walk with Christ and the national news, I felt my time was far better spent with the One who makes a difference in my life. As I walk through this post, know that my use of certain words is not meant to be demeaning or slanderous, but it’s simply that this mountain girl can’t keep up. Please forgive me in advance.

I recently sat through a conference class on Sensitivity in a Diverse Culture. It walked me through all the ways I needed to be sensitive – which by the way, is another word that has fallen to the world’s definition. To be ‘sensitive’ used to mean: being tender, asserting compassion, and attention to the needs of others. Now it means: don’t hurt Joe’s feelings, he’ll end up in therapy for months. Sigh.

Ask God When You Have Questions

However, I am learning to ask God my questions, so I asked him this: What are you teaching me about diversity?

I realized as I taught a Bible study exactly what God was teaching me about diversity. And it had nothing to do with the ethnicity of a person, but everything to do with the wide range of individuals that are in my life. I know – hold on – I’m getting there.

It started with a little research about mineral springs, tied of course to my research for an Appalachian historical novel in the works. As I searched the internet for information on the healing attributes of mineral springs, I ran upon a historical society in the Holy Lands where a Rabbi made a blanket statement about the Pool of Bethesda.

Now, if you don’t know about the Pool of Bethesda let me quickly fill you in. Long story short, people gathered by the pool to be healed. The belief was, that when the waters bubbled, an angel was stirring the waters with healing powers. People would rush to jump in the water in the hope they’d be miraculously healed.

John 5:1-15 tells us how Jesus went to the Pool of Bethesda and approached a man who was ill for 38 years. He asked the man, “Do you want to be healed?” The man said he couldn’t get into the water fast enough. Jesus asked him again, “Do you want to be healed?” And when the man answered yes, Jesus healed him. It wasn’t from the waters of the pool – it was by faith. 

What’s all the Hubbub About?

All that to say, this Rabbi said that it was possible that the Pool of Bethesda was mineral water.  Was there more to the hubbub besides the pagan rituals of the times? Mineral waters are healing to the superficial areas of the skin – they kill bacteria or infestations like lice – and they are gentle on sores and wounds. Usually, mineral waters are found in hot springs where the waters are 78 degrees or warmer. This alone eases swollen joints and sore muscles. That said, I was curious if there was any validity to that assumption the Rabbi made. I was curious.

Here’s Where the Diversity Comes In

I called my friend Eva, who has a Really Smart Divinity Degree of some sort, and asked her – Do you think the waters at Bethesda were mineral waters? This Rabbi sort of insinuated that this was why folks flocked to the waters to wait on the “angel.” She was curious, so she contacted a friend who is a guide in the Holy Land. As she did that, I contacted a professor friend at a Bible College, who promptly sent my question to a colleague who happened to be leading our very minister and a group from our church on a tour of the Holy Lands (Go figure.) That man came back with the information I needed at about the same time as Eva’s friend.

There are no natural springs at Bethesda. It was rainwater or water pumped up to the pool. Though there are mineral pools in the area, none are close to where the Pools of Bethesda were. (FYI – no, the waters were not mineral – diversity showed me that.)

A Huge Range of Diversity

So, in a few short moments, I was in contact with four different folks, some of whom I’d never met – diversity. And a huge range of diversity it was – from friends to friends of friends who were much smarter than me.

I get the importance of inclusion – from disabled to skin color. I live with a son who has disabilities, but God quickly showed me just how diverse my world was and needs to continue to be. Four different people, two of them on the other side of the world, all pooled (no pun intended) together to answer my question.

Look Deeper than our Skin

We spend so much time demanding diversity due to ethnicity that we forget the personal interactions we have daily that are so diverse it blows my mind. Diversity is not what makes us different, it’s what joins us together. Diverse – an assortment. It’s like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates. When we stop looking at the color of our skin and instead look at the individuals who make up our lives, suddenly the word takes on a new meaning. We don’t include them because of their color, rather, we include them because we love them. They are part of our lives and God enriches us through them.

It was a wonderful realization. When I opened my eyes, God showed me just how diverse His world and His children are – and we already know so many. My lesson was to learn to recognize people for the internal not the external. Every person in this world carries an attribute of God because, after all, He created every single one. How many can you find if you look?

Diversity spans so much more than what the world wants us to believe. It’s more than your rights because of your skin color. When we put aside what we feel others owe us and simply be the people God has made us, the physical attributes disappear and all that shows is the internal gifts we are blessed with.

I know – you’re probably saying, “it’s not that easy.”  And it’s not. But when we drop the entitlement that blinds us–and look beyond the colors of the world and create new tints and shades— they will bring us new depth and love.

Look deeper and you will be amazed at the wide assortment of individuals placed in your life. When you look at WHO they are, not what they are, diversity becomes true again.