Back To Home Page To Archives - Spring of Life - H. Roger Bothwell Get in Line It was wonderful. It was a scene out of the famous children's book "Madeleine" that begins with "twelve little girls in two straight lines." On my to school I passed nine children waiting for the school bus. There was no bus in sight. Yet all the children were in a straight line one right behind the other. I am guessing one of the children was a take charge "control freak." He or she had everyone in place. I am wondering what kind of retribution would have fallen on anyone who got out of line. Sometimes religious groups manage to do such with their members. If one is to belong one has to get in line. Conformity is the criteria for acceptance. One must eat like, talk like, dress like and most important of all believe like the leadership. Any deviation is a pronounced one-way ticket to a very warm place. Yet I cannot but notice how much God loves diversity. People come in a tremendous variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Languages, customs and cultures make the world a fascinating place. Yet, it is our brains that really make us different from each other. The power to think, the power to create and to choose for ourselves is God's greatest gift to our being. When He said, "Let us make man in our image" He was not talking about hair color or texture. He was talking about the power to think. The power to be unique. The power to be so special there would never ever be a duplicate anywhere in the vastness of His universe. I'm Roger Bothwell and my address is roger.bothwell@verizon.net or 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453. Thank you for your support of our faith ministry. Past devotionals can be accessed at Archives