God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. – Acts 10:28

A pastor’s daughter had a liaison with a black man. When the dust of the scandal finally settled, what emerged from its wake was the pastor’s first grandchild; a beautiful baby boy whose skin was quite a few shades darker than anyone else’s in the family.
     When the child was older, the pastor and his wife decided to take him with them on a trip to Germany to visit some relatives.
     One afternoon when they were all sharing a meal with the family, the pastor informed his grandson, Steven, that the man sitting across the table from him was his cousin Dietrich.
     For the first time it dawned on Dietrich, that this little child of color was his relative. The pastor watched Dietrich’s expressions as the incongruity of the thought burst and cascaded across his face.
     Then little Steven asked his cousin if he had any pets.
     “No,” Dietrich replied, “my wife doesn’t want them, but I have my frogs in the pond behind the house.”
     The thought produced a reverie among the relatives about how long that pond had been in the family, hundreds of years in fact. And they mused on how many of their family's children had played in that same pond searching for and catching those elusive frogs.
     Then Dietrich looked at the little black boy who was his cousin, the emotions of his previous thoughts now a calm pool of acceptance. He spoke softly and said, “I think its time for you to go hunt some frogs with me in that pond, Steven.”
     The pastor smiled, silently thanking God for allowing him to experience the moment, as Steven and Dietrich donned their rubber boots and headed out into the pond to continue the family legacy together.
     I don’t need to tie this all in with the typical devotional application. I think you already know what it is. Love one another.

copyright 2004 by H.D. Shively