These Human Hands
Last week I offered up an article written by AI, specifically ChatGPT. I wanted to see what would happen if I gave myself and the artificial intelligence the same prompt. The two articles are different, but do share some themes and ideas. You’ll have to reply in the comments or send me an email to let me know if you have a preference for one or the other. But here is my original take on the prompt:
This year for Christmas my aunt made me a new matching set of hat, scarf, and fingerless gloves. She is an expert with yarn and I have no doubt could actually make woolen mittens or gloves. She also knows me well enough to know that I like fingerless gloves over traditional gloves under most circumstances. Eventually it does get cold enough outside and I cave, covering over my fingertips, but I like being able to touch and feel things. I can operate my phone without having to remove the warmth from my hands, my fingers were going to be icy no matter what I wore, and many of the buttons in my car are designed to be tactile as it is an older model. If it was a newer model with a touchscreen, I would definitely need the fingerless gloves to operate it or those fancy ones with the extra padding in the fingertips so that you can touch things. Yes, I am well aware this is a lot of thought on what makes one type of glove superior to another. Which got me to thinking about people.
People in the church sometimes see themselves as inferior to others, or worse in my opinion, as superior to others. Both are bad, but one comes with an additional moral judgment. Feeling inferior is bad, but a lack of self-worth is an opportunity for growth, to know the steadfast and unending love of God, and to trust in the Lord. Feeling superior is too often a quick road to seeing piety as righteousness which can easily become self-righteousness. Bad to worse in quick succession. Do you identify with one of these groups? Or are you currently in a stage of your life in which you see others as equals?
When people do not recognize their worth and their value, they may see themselves as inferior. It’s a classic in all sorts of literature that the most useful characteristic often precludes a character from being the prettiest, most desirable, or most valuable character. This can be seen in real life too. The Chief Executive Officer and others from the executive board of a company are often paid the most, given the most time and attention, and seen as the worthiest while those who do the work of the business, be it the accountants or janitors or factory workers are considered replaceable, unimportant, and the least valuable. And yet, if the CEO doesn’t come in to work, most people won’t notice. The janitor takes two days off and people are ready to riot. If only everyone was valued equally for their contribution to the work. If only people saw each other as one in Christ, as co-heirs of the kingdom, and equals in the eyes of the Lord.
Scripture reminds us quite often that we are meant to love our neighbors as ourselves. The way in which society assigns value to people is not the same as the way in which God does, because God doesn’t assign value. We are all God’s children, this universal grace that United Methodists hold dear in the ever changing and expanding world, also means that we are not supposed to be shifted by what’s considered important in the society in which we live other than societies that value and focus on giving God glory, serving God, and loving God. When we are called to love our neighbor as ourself, we cannot do so from a position in which we see others as anything other than our equals. Not the same, but equals.
Which means it’s time for some math. I dare not assume that everyone has 10 fingers, as that is not universally true, but many people do. In math, being equal does not mean being the same. 2+3=1+4=5. All three groupings of numbers equal the same thing, but none of them is the same. This is where my nerdy self is well pleased that I can use a little bit of the logic unit from my eighth grade math class to talk about God’s love. If you hold something to be true, then there can be a then statement. Not all people are the same. If people are different, then people will have diversity. If Christ tells us we are to love our neighbor, then we must do so with the understanding that they too are beloved, worthy, and of value no matter how much like us they are or are not. God designed people to be different. Different gifts and graces, different calls, and different faces. We are not mass produced on a production line, we are much more like a hand-knitted pair of gloves. God made each of us just as we were meant to be.
For me, this ultimately means that loving my neighbor means expecting them to be different than I am, even if we share common goals, interests, hopes, dreams, or purposes. You can keep your hands warm with fingerless gloves, chemical hand warmers, by not going outside, and by wearing traditional gloves. All different, but all serving the same purpose. Just like people. We can all serve God in our own unique and different ways without having to force others into our views, tell them their way is wrong, or by excluding those with whom we disagree. Blanket statements like this do come with risk. There are some beliefs that are not a part of the shared core of Christianity and cannot be abided in ecumenical work. If you worship at a church that thinks that all left-handed people are evil, you may find yourself excluded because of a fundamental disagreement about the sacred worth of all people. The disagreement does not mean that you will be treated unkindly, but you probably won’t be welcome either. Tolerance paradox and all.
In the end, the next time you put on a pair of gloves, be they fingerless gloves for warmth in a not so cold Texas winter, NASA designed sub-zero temperature rated gloves for an arctic winter, or a pair of work gloves, I hope you’ll remember that God wants you to love your neighbor. That there is beauty in the diversity of thought, life, and people. These human hands we possess are meant for furthering the kingdom, not tearing it down. With God’s help, we will.
