God Loves Diversity in His Creation—We Should, Too

God loves diversity. He is the Creator of this diverse world. All around us are examples of His beautiful handiwork.

We should honor and be grateful for all the plant, animals, and other beautiful humans God has placed in our lives.

God Created Diversity among the Flowers

Last week, my husband and I stood in our kitchen talking.

“How many flower pots do you think we have on the deck?” he asked.

“I don’t know. 30?” I replied.

He laughed. “Nope. Try 65.”

Each flower pot grows one, two, or three different plants. Although we have some favorite varieties—such as lantana, firecracker, coleus, verbena, heliotrope, alyssum, lobelia, and Gerber daisies—they each come in a variety of colors and specific strains. Some lantana flowers are white and yellow, others are pink or orange. Hanging out among these beautiful examples of God’s creation is my happy place.

Although God is responsible for creating the seeds and determining what will grow from each, for flowers to grow in pots requires tending. Especially on hot days, they need to be watered or they will droop and their blooms shrivel.

God Loves Diversity in the Animal Kingdom

Since I was a little kid, I have loved animals. Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom was a favorite Sunday evening show. The diversity within the animal kingdom is astounding. Even within a given species there can be great diversity, as with dogs. I also loved the Dog article in the World Book Encyclopedias my parents bought us. (There was no internet for cute dog videos; just glossy still pictures of Great Danes and Cocker Spaniels).

All of the diversity among the animals is because God is creative and He loves diversity. The collage above is but a teeny subset of all the mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects on this big blue planet we call home. Each has its place in this world and is important to God. (Even that troublesome cat in the top right corner).

God Loves Diversity of People

God is also the creator of all the diverse people in this world, each one unique. No two individuals have the exact same DNA, even so-called identical twins. No two fingerprints are exactly alike either.

Recently we attended a concert in a large arena. Whenever I am in a huge crowd like that, I am amazed at all the different people around me. Each unique and each loved by God. I may think some of the people I see are weird at first, but when I look deeper, as God does, I see God’s beloved. Each person has a place in this world and is important to God.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
Romans 12:3–6a NIV.

God Desires All to Be Saved

When I look at all the diverse people in this world, I must remember that God desires each one to be saved and to spend eternity in His loving presence. Sometimes I long for Jesus to return and do away with the pain and suffering in this world. But as C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity:

God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. . . . It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it. (Emphasis added).

Thankfully, God is sovereign and He will decide when the appropriate time to make all things new has come.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 NIV.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for this beautiful, diverse world You created. Help us to see each flower, each animal, and each person as Your beautiful creation, loved and cherished. If any reader should feel less than because others have mistreated them, remind them in undeniable ways that they are Your unique and wonderful creation. May we treat each other as You have treated us, with mercy and kindness. In Jesus’s name, amen.