Un solo Dios para todos los - Only One God

As a young boy, I can remember watching many of the space launches from Cape Canaveral.  We knew these endeavors were fraught with risk and danger and we sat with breaths held as the adventurers soared toward the stars.  Every once in a while something would go awry, and those gut clenching words were heard, “Houston, we have a problem!”  With the exception of a couple of disastrous events which will be forever etched in the memories of those who saw them, the grace of God and the application of some brilliant problem solving skills brought these pioneers home.
We find ourselves on a journey that is filled with as much wonder and excitement as any the astronauts undertook.  Venturing into an unknown future with the intent of pleasing a universal God presents us with incredible challenges.  We are constantly challenged to make decisions that balance the requirements of family, faith, work, and personal demands.  Wouldn’t it be good if we had a warning system that would jar us out of our complacency when we have slipped into a good old comfortable rut?  Would we have the spiritual maturity to acknowledge that warning or would we ignore it or shout it down?
I recently read a letter in which the author indicated he had never seen a town as divided as Gonzales.  Now I will not get into a “rating” system as to how divided Gonzales is versus other towns, but it seems to me that as one who has traveled all over the world that indeed, “We have a problem!”  There is division in our town and any division at all is too much division in the eyes of God.
As a Scripturally observant people, are we not called to recognize the supremacy of a single God over all of us?  As a good friend of mine said in his sermon to an ethnically diverse community this weekend, “Un solo Dios!” Only one God.  Regardless of our skin color, our language, our socio-economic status, we are all children of the one God, the God of the First Commandment, the God who insists on being the most important thing in our lives.  If we recognize that single fact and are brutally honest about bringing our priorities into line with His, we have some work to do.  After all, if He is the Father of all, then we are brothers and sisters.
Embracing His priorities as ours is not always the easiest thing to do.  Often times this task calls upon each and every one of us to set aside old habits and notions in favor of His will.  In the case of any divisions that have crept into our town, is it not time to honestly reflect upon the messages of both Mark (Love your neighbor as yourself) and Luke (The Story of the Good Samaritan) to chart our future course?  Recognize that the ills of the past cannot be undone, but the future is ours to claim.  All of us have a historical tale of woe to tell, but allowing that to be our focus only traps us in that story.
Far too many times when discussing this issue, people pay lip service to unity but when it comes time to actually do something I have heard responses that sound something like, “But they won’t” or “They don’t want to.” How sad.  We cannot control what
“they” (whoever “they” are) do or say.  We can only control our individual actions and responses.  By allowing the actions of others to limit our actions, we are less than God intended us to be.  If it is unity we truly desire, it is unity we shall truly have because as individuals we will respond in a manner fostering unity.
Hopefully it is our Christian heritage and call to brotherhood that allows us to admit that “We have a problem.”  Perhaps we take my friend’s exhortation of “Only one God” and simply recognize “Un solo Dios para todos los.”  That is, “Only one God, for all.”
Gonzales is a wonderful town, full of great people with incredible gifts and talents.  But there is something lurking in the shadows that may overwhelm us if we are not careful.  That something will certainly limit our greatness as the future unfolds and we chart our course in this grand journey upon which we find ourselves.  That something is a bitterness and unresolved hardness regarding our perceived or real history that manifests itself as disdain and a lack of care for those who are different than I am.
One indicator of a willingness to move forward might be our personal reaction to this column.  Do we have a dialogue regarding this issue, including whether it is real or not?  If it is real, what do we do about it?  Or do we string up the messenger?
As for me, Un solo Dios para todos los.  God bless you, with love.