A teacher once asked her first-grade class,
"What color is an apple?"
Most of the children answered, "Red."
Others said, "Green."
Then one little boy replied,"White."
The class laughed.
The teacher smiled and said,
"I've never seen a white apple."
The boy answered simply,
"Have you ever cut one open?"
And he was right.
On the outside,
apples come in different colors.
Some are red.
Some are green.
But on the inside,
they are remarkably alike.
That simple observation reveals
a profound spiritual truth.
We spend so much time noticing
what makes us different.
We see backgrounds, opinions,
personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.
We see labels.
God sees His children.
Through faith in Jesus Christ,
the promise is given to those who believe.
And through that same faith,
we become sons and daughters of God.
Our deepest identity
is not found in what separates us,
but in the One who unites us.
In Christ, we belong to the same family.
The world often divides
people into categories.
The Gospel gathers them
around a common Lord.
That is why Jesus says,
"Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."
When we listen to His word
and allow it to shape our lives,
we begin to see one another differently.
Not as competitors.
Not as strangers.
Not as labels.
But as brothers and sisters.
So today, remember the apple.
If you only look at the outside,
you may miss what matters most.
Beneath our differences,
through faith and Baptism,
we are all one in Christ Jesus.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
unite our hearts in Your love,
Teach us to see one another
as children of the Father above.
Strip away the labels that divide
and the judgments that blind,
That together in Your grace,
we may be one
in heart, soul, and mind.
Amen
