3.2 – Avoiding Favouritism (James 2:1-13)

[Melanie]

Something I’ve noticed about myself is that I shy away from engaging with people that I think are challenging to engage with. Someone that is hard to understand when they speak, someone that may smell if I get too close, someone that is emotional in the moment. I believe this is a type a favoritism, it’s not as easy to define as rich/poor but it’s still preferring one group of people over the other.

Since I’ve noticed this about myself I am trying to do better. This has meant pushing myself out of my comfort zone and really paying attention to my actions.

[Dolores]

I have been tempted to show partiality in situations where the person(s) are influencers or people who can make a significantly positive impact on my life.

I live out the 'royal law of love' by remembering that the most significant impact on my life have been people that under normal circumstances would not have the ability to impact me. They have been from monetarily challenged backgrounds and little to no social presence. They have taught me such valuable lessons in life such as humility and the deep satisfaction of seeing the hand of the Lord at work through my humble offerings.

[ECO]

@dostapyshyn this is excellent. It reminds me of the following story: I can’t remember what book it was in, but I remember reading about how a person met a homeless man on the street who asked him for money. The person responded and said, I don’t have any money, but you can have this coffee I just bought. The homeless man accepted the coffee and quickly unwrapped the napkin from around the cup to blow his nose. With tears in his eyes, he said, “Bless you, I have been looking for something to blow my nose all day.” The story was told because the homeless man’s gratitude taught the author an important lesson. Often those less fortunate than us have a better attitude about life than we who have so much.