It's A Small World . . .

Having recently returned from Disney World, I was thinking about our trip and the many wonderful memories that we always create on our visits to the land of Mickey Mouse.  Of all the parks, Magic Kingdom is my favorite.  I especially love the Philhar-magic attraction.  But no trip to the Magic Kingdom is complete without a cruise on the boats of  “It’s a Small World.”  Of all the trips we’ve taken, I don’t think we’ve ever neglected the Small World ride.  I have so many memories of my boys in awe of all the tiny, dancing, ethnically diverse wooden people.  And I have just as many of Justin rolling his eyes at the ride and making fun of the hippo with the messed up left eye.  And now that Gabe is older, he makes fun of it too.  But Jack still sees the magic of the Small World.

This trip, though, left me with a few memories that I will always appreciate in a different sort of way.  I have the memory of sitting behind a Muslim woman in hijab on the Backlot Tour ride in Hollywood studios and talking with her as she laughed at Jack’s antics.  I have the memory of being in the elevator with a couple whose bag tag said they were from Japan.  I have the memory of my Mom talking on the phone with her Native American friend who is a devoted Christian.  I have the memory of an Indian family in the courtyard of our hotel wearing their native clothing, including turbans for the men.  I have the memory of my Mom praying with two “emo” looking young adults outside of a restaurant who subscribed to no faith but welcomed prayer.  And I have the memory of Justin’s and my conversation with the restaurant manager who was raised in the Nation of Islam and then moved to the Baptist church as a child and chose to follow traditional Islam as an adult. 

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” (Matthew 28:18-20, emphasis mine).

As Christians, we have been commissioned to make disciples of all nations.  You notice Jesus didn’t say, get a confession of faith from all nations or cram in a quick prayer with people from all nations.  He said, “make disciples.”  Disciple-making relationships happen in day to day, life on life relationships – even those relationships with people who are not yet (and may never choose to be) followers of Christ.

It really is a small world, after all.  And being part of such a small world should serve to remind us, as Gandhi famously said, “A friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.”  If, as Christians, we are truly going to be missionaries to the world around us, we must understand the world around us.  That means we should take the time to learn a little about what the many people we encounter in our daily lives really believe.  Understanding others takes away fear of the unknown and opens doors for relationships.  Relationships cause us to see those who are different as fellow humans, created in God’s image, rather than seeing them simply as “other.”  Take some time to learn about the people around you and build some new relationships.  Jesus would.