a white guy from texas and a black guy from mississippi

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:28-29)

An odd memory just came to me when I was reading another article. In 1970, I was driving my 1962 Mercury Meteor back from Fort Gordon in Georgia to Houston. I was leaving army AIT was about to go to Germany. A friend named Lincoln asked if I would drop him off in Mississippi on the way by.

When we got to his town, he told me to turn, I did. Again I turned and again until we were on a dirt road.

His house was a shack with no running water and what looked like 20 children, all standing around looking at me.

He got out and asked me if I would like a drink of water. I said yes. One of the children brought me a dipper of water. I drank it, gave it back and told Lincoln goodbye.

It has struck me to this day. I had completely forgot that Lincoln was black, and since he lived in Mississippi, he probably was poor.

In the army, we all wore army green. Army green was a very leveling color. Nobody looked better or richer or poorer than anybody else. He had a set of civilian clothes like we all did, and since it was 1970, they were jeans and a shirt and stuff like that. Nothing big or fancy. It was after all 1970, the time of purposefully ragged clothes.

When we got to his home, I was astounded by the absolute poverty. It probably embarrassed him, too, since before that time we were friends on an equal basis. My family was not well-off by any means, but we had running water and electricity and stuff. I owned a car, albeit a pretty sad one.

But I seriously had never considered it. He was another soldier and a friend so as far as I was concerned we were from equal backgrounds. But I was the white son of a man with a good trade and he was the black son of a very poor man.

Both families owned homes, but ours was brick on a cul-de-sac in Texas City, TX. His was a shack in Mississippi. I don’t remember where now. I don’t remember what he looked like, or anything else, but I can see the house clear as day 40 years later.

One of the things that Christianity should be is a social leveling place. Everybody, no matter who they may be, or what background they may come from, is a child of God.

In God, if you are in Jesus, there is neither Jew nor Greek (racial leveling), slave nor free (socioeconomic leveling), male nor female (sexual leveling) – we are all one in Christ Jesus. We are all even, we are all the same, we are all equal: sinners saved by the grace of God.

That makes it hard when someone thinks they are so great because of who they are or where they came from.

We are, after all, servants of a servant. He took upon himself the form of a servant (Philippians 2).

It is hard to be too proud when your Master is a servant. We are all one in Christ Jesuss.

If you think you are great, get over yourself. You are one of his children.

Praise his holy name.