Why Should I Care for People Not Like Me?
Trillia Newbell is the author of Enjoy, Fear and Faith, United, and God’s Very Good Idea. She's been published in Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, and more. Trillia is married to Thern and they reside with their two children near Nashville, TN. You can find her at trillianewbell.com and follow her on twitter at @trillianewbell.
We started off by asking Trillia, "What’s the best part of being a mom?"
She echoes what all of us mamas feel as we watch babies grow up:
"Just being with them and watching them grow and develop… and ultimately humble you because they repeat everything they here and mimic their parents long before parents realize that is what they are doing."
Tough Question: Why Should We Care About Diversity? How can we teach kids to champion differences?
Start with the Scriptures. In the beginning, when God created man, we see that He is made in the Imago Dei, or image of God. Every person is a bearer of God's image and that truth should effect the way we treat all people.
With Genesis 1 as our foundation, we see that not only are our children created in the image of God, but everyone is – everyone from different ethnicities are created by our Creator God, so if we can start there, then everyone is equal. From there – Jesus died on the cross for every tribe, tongue, and nation and has tasked us to go and make disciples of all nations.
And one day we’ll be worshipping together.
Our eternal kingdom is very diverse.
Let’s celebrate differences because they were God’s idea.
We do have to make known the realities of sin. Sin is the reason we hate one another or can’t get along, but we don't have to stay there. God wants to root out the sin in our lives and bring us into fellowship with Him and with others.
Also, kids will take on the attitudes of parents.
So, whatever you are teaching about race and diversity and how to treat people, they are probably going to pick up.
I asked Trillia,
"What are some practical ways that families might be more involved with diversity?"
Here are a few she gave:
- Invite people who are not like you to your table.
- Talk to your neighbors.
- Shop in a new area of town.
- Invite people into your life and into your home.
- You also can talk about history and culture and foods and music and bring that into your home so that they aren’t surprised when they meet someone different, but are excited because they’ve been thinking about it for a long time.
There are really easy ways to implement this, you just have to be intentional.
Trillia seeks to introduce her kids to new cultures and foods by cooking a dish, listening to music, and learning about the people from those specific cultures. What a fun idea for familes!
God has created a wonderful, beautiful diverse world and we can enjoy it and rejoice in it.
Featured Resource
I told Trillia in this episode about how much my kids love this book, and that is not an exaggeration. The illustrations in this book are absolutely adorable, and the driving concept is one every kid needs: that differences and diversity should be celebrated because these were created by God and they were very good ideas. This book will help children see how people from all ethnic and social backgrounds are valuable to God and how Jesus came to rescue all kinds of people. You can get it anywhere books are sold.
Do you disciple your children differently?
Trillia said, "Of course, we are teaching them to walk similarly because Scripture lays out pretty clearly what it looks like to walk well, but our two kids are also so different! We have to talk to them differently, lead them differently, and disciple them differently."