Playing Favorites, Part 2

“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.” –James 2:1

The people who are most affected by favoritism are those who are looked down upon by our culture because they aren’t the most popular, the most talented, the best looking, or the most wealthy. It could be the quiet guy at the office, the kid with acne in the classroom, the underdressed person in the worship center, or the boy who can’t hit a baseball. Whatever the case may be, it just isn’t right.

We all know of people who have struggled with their self esteem because people constantly put them down. We have seen the effects of children who seem to crumple under the comparison to their siblings. We even know people who have struggled with suicide largely because they have been neglected by the world around them.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can make a difference. It all starts with taking a look at our hearts and seeing why we don’t treat people equally. Then, we look at the people in our lives and ask two questions: 1) Who am I putting down or showing disfavor towards? 2) Who am I simply ignoring or not even noticing? I think we would be amazed at how far a little love goes. When we are obedient to showing impartiality, we can see not only our attitudes and the demeanor of those who are looked down upon change, but also our entire work and classroom environments change as we begin treating people the way that Christ would treat them.