By Rich DuBose
“I am no more modern than I am ancient, no more French than Chinese; and the idea of la patrie, the fatherland—that is, the obligation to live on a bit of earth coloured red or blue on a map, and to detest the other bits coloured green or black—has always seemed to me narrow, restricted, and ferociously stupid.” —Gustave Flaubert
I love this French concept and apply it to myself by saying, I am no more modern than I am ancient, no more American than I am Chinese; and the idea of homeland, the fatherland—that is, of me having an obligation to live on a bit of earth colored red, white, and blue on a map, and to detest all other bits of earth that are colored differently—has always seemed to be narrow, restricted, and ferociously self-serving.
My goal is to see the world through God’s eyes, which is a totally different perspective than what we have down here. When God views us he sees the uniqueness of each one in a delightful way. Whether we are French, Spanish, Russian, or Polish makes no difference to God, except that he relishes those differences as expressions of his love for diversity. There is no favored nation status. Each ethnic, racial, and cultural nuance is by design—like the different pieces of a puzzle, every piece is diminished if one is missing or uncelebrated.
God sees his children as belonging to a world where everyone matters—like when our individual family members come together to share a meal. Each one adds to the experience of the whole; an experience that gives new insight into what it means to be complete and “in community.”
imagine a world where each nation treats all the others with kindness and respect and that celebrates each one’s differences.
Jesus said, “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them” (Matthew 7:12, MSG). This is the essence of everything taught in the Bible, and it’s the only way to live together in harmony.
The problem is there are no amount of words that can influence us to view the world this way if our hearts have been captured by divisive politicians, religionists, and shameless ideologies. When we allow our opinions or the opinions of others to shape who we are, we are on a destructive path. Our opinions and attitudes seem right to us, but they will eventually bring us great loss.
Our only safety is in letting God shape our assumptions from the inside out—to the point that we fully reflect his ideals. We don't embrace this mindset because we no longer want to think for ourselves, but do so because we're tired of our thinking; of our stealing the show and ending up in ghastly destinations.
What is God Like?
Two Scripture passages describe what God's character is like:
“Then the LORD passed by in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth” (Exodus 34:6, NKJV). These are personal character qualities that God possesses.
“The LORD is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’" (Numbers 14:18, NLT).
This describes the kind of person I want to be and the kind world I want to be a citizen of. God is bringing everyone to the point where they will be able to see and choose between a world that promises more of the same—of the heartache and trauma we currently have, or in one that operates upon principles that reflect God's character, where grace and justice reign supreme.
Rich DuBose writes from Northern California. Photo by Lara Jameson, with Pexels.
On the web at: richdubose.com. All Rights Reserved © 2025. Join me on Blue Sky @spiritrenew.bsky.social.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.