As I write this, I just spent 8 hours traveling from Crestview to Philadelphia for a meeting. With a lengthy layover in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to engage in one of my favorite pastimes – observing humanity.
Years ago comedian George Carlin had a quip that said something along the lines of, "You know you have to kill a lot of time at the airport. And you know there has got to be a spy there somewhere. Your job – find him!" I didn't find a spy.
At the Atlanta airport were thousands of people. They were all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. There were individual travelers, groups of people, and families. Some people had cell phones plastered to their ears. Some had laptop computers churning away. Some were reading books or newspapers. Others were listening to music through earbuds.
But one thing struck me plainly. Every person in that airport, regardless of what they were doing, with whom they were traveling, or their destination, all had one similarity.
Each one is a child of God. In the very beginning, God said he created human beings in his image. Therefore, every person on the face of this earth has been created in God’s image.
And along with that, each one has feelings and emotions. Each one has had joys and sorrows in life. Each one has the same potential as any other. Each one has hopes and dreams.
Those whom God created filled that airport. I didn't know a single person there in that airport. And yet, I know God knows each of them by name. He knows the number of hairs on their head. He knows their hopes and dreams.
Many were different from me. Did that mean I was free to think less of them? Absolutely not. Did that mean I could judge them because of their appearance or the lifestyle I could assume about them? Absolutely not.
Remember that each person you encounter is a child of our Creator. Each is worthy of respect. Jesus welcomed all persons into his love. He died for all persons. Can we not also welcome all as he did, as we serve as his ambassadors? I believe so.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: As children of God, everyone is worthy of respect