We are a world that loves to sort people into groups. This has been happening for thousands of years. The people in biblical times were sorted by race, creed and sex. Men were superior to women in many cultures and were therefore sorted into two groups.

The caste system has been in place for hundreds of years in India. Individuals were assigned (sorted) into groups depending on their birth family and lineage which in turn had dire consequences for their future lives and opportunities.

People continue to be sorted by the way they look, the talents and abilities they have and the things they say. Society has always been sorted into the haves and have nots. We see this in the school system where students are assigned into reading groups depending on their reading levels determined by another sorting tool, the standardized tests. Young people get sorted into groups for college admittance based on their GPAs, their SATs or ACT scores.

Even in works of fiction like the Harry Potter reading series, a mechanism was used to place the students. It was a sorting hat that posited the students into the group which they would represent during their time of study at Hogwarts School.

Some sorting is based on formal measures and some is purely judgmental. Whatever type of sorting it is, it is a very real part of our world and will undoubtedly continue to be so.

As Christians, we are indeed fortunate that we believe and follow a loving God that does not sort us into groups based on any perceived standards. Our God loves us all unconditionally and equally, not based on the way we look, the family we came from or what our IQ might be. He loves us because He is a God of love. God is love. He wants us to be people that love others as we love ourselves.

In 1 John 4:16 we read these words. We know how much God loves us and we have put our trust in his love. God is love and all who live in God live in love and God lives in them.

God loves us, wants the best for us, and wants us to follow His teachings and love each other. I read this quip recently and I think it fits well with this blog. “Love everyone and I’ll sort it out later.” God

Patty