God makes promise to everyone, not just select few

Judging by first appearances, the desertlike rolling hills along the gorge following the Columbia River would qualify as worthless – a desolate wasteland.

There are no trees, it’s windy, and in the spring the grasses rapidly turn brown from the lack of water and the sun’s heat.

In contrast, there is a subtle beauty in the various basalt outcroppings leading down to the edge of the river, strikingly similar to those of the Grand Canyon. But even these are neutral in color, ranging from black to shades of brown with specks of gold.

However, there is a surprise after leaving Arlington, traveling west on the Oregon side of the gorge. A wide rectangle strip of deep, velvet green grass spreads across the landscape on the other side of the river. The entire area is fringed with what looks like arborvitaes.

The differences in the surrounding terrains are startling. What seemed barren and empty blooms with a beautiful richness. It’s amazing what water and planning accomplished.

Without noticing the feasibility of something better, it was easy to judge this area useless. On the other hand, isn’t this what we do to people who choose a different course in life, or who seem to offer nothing to the community? We judge them like the gorge, dry and empty.

It only took one individual to see the possibilities lying dormant in the brown, stony dirt and act upon it, and the land exploded into color. Those who are misunderstood also have below-the-surface qualities and abilities waiting to break out, to be discovered.

One could ask, “Why go to all the bother? It takes time to cultivate the ground, and nurture those of ‘questionable’ character.”

May we remember that Genesis 1:10 reads: “God called the land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good” (RSV). Everyplace, not certain sections, was called good.

Likewise, when negative conclusions are drawn too quickly about what we see in others, we forget what it says in Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them” – and 1:31: “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (RSV). All who populate the earth are made in God’s image.

Just as the rocky, coarse earth of the gorge can’t compete with the lush, lacy gardens of the southern states, it is important to discern how we compare men and women by our set of standards.

We don’t know what God has in mind for someone else. From the beginning, the unlimited possibilities were seen for all, as promised in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plan I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope” (RSV).

Nothing indicates this plan is accomplished by our rules, in only one way. Nor does it say the hope is for a select few – it incorporates total humanity.

Living the miraculous Message – God loves us, Jesus died for us, accepting us as we were when receiving him as Savior – will show others that we, too, accept them, with no strings attached.

Putting aside biased differences, the untapped resources and creative talents in those deemed as losers are freed to grow – like a brilliant, emerald swatch.

This week, month or year, may we keep our heart and mind open to the extraordinary possibilities found in desolate places, and in our fellow human beings. Don’t be surprised, if you’re the one blessed.