Different. But Same.

How We Find Our Connection in Jesus

two women sitting by campfire talking
Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Today I have a friend, Corrie Gerbatz, writing a guest blog for us.  We met through Proverbs 31 Ministries, where she is a devotional writer.  You can find her blog at GerbatzDailyGrind.com.

The Gerbatz Family

Enjoy!  Here’s Corrie.


I have a friend whom I love dearly.  Our paths crossed years ago, and our lives have been intertwined ever since.  Together we have walked through seasons of diapers, when “Girl Times” were guised as “play date times” and we attempted to chat over our whining toddlers.  We’ve traded off duties as “a shoulder to cry on” and the one needing to cry, when the unfairness of life seemed a bit excessive.

We’ve stayed up too late swapping funny GIFS (some appropriate – but most not), when we should have been sleeping. And we’ve laughed ourselves whole again, over countless margarita pitchers.

But in all the life we have lived together, it can not be denied that how we choose to live our lives in the everyday is different.

She buys all organic food, subscribes to meal plans, and rarely ever has ranch in her fridge (a true crime according to my kids).  I do a little organic, but a lot of bulk snack foods, and you better believe I have all forms of mayo-based products in my fridge.

Her kids have some of their vaccinations, and she has a whole arsenal of essential oils.  My kids have all of their vaccinations, and I only have a few oils – which I’ll be honest I purchased purely on aesthetic smell and not function at all.

She likes hot yoga and I definitely DO NOT.  It’s too hot (I sweat enough on my own), I’m not bendy, and I apparently can’t just breathe away my levels of anxiety.  I need a prescription for that (another thing we differ on).

I’m a real stickler for bedtimes and naptimes.  My kids need sleep! Or maybe I need my kids to sleep so I can sleep – ha! My kids are cranky? They need to sleep.  My kids are whiny? They need to sleep.  My kids are hungry again?!? They probably are growing and just need to sleep.  My friend…not so much.

I feel better with blush on my cheeks and gloss on my lips. She prefers bronzer.  My body type is an apple. She is a pear and what’s with the fruit body classifications anyways?!?!

We do school a little different.  We discipline our kids a little different.  We view politics a little different. We view the all-encompassing Corona-Mask drama a little different.  Heck we even binge watch totally different shows.

And I’m ok with that.

Why?  Because more important than any of our similarities or our differences, is the fact that we share the same grounding faith as beloved daughters of Christ. And because we do, all the other stuff is just stuff. 

Our differences no longer seem so big, so offensive, so divisive.  I can still spend time with my friend, love on her, and lift her up without having to be right about my view on gluten or the upcoming election. 

In the book of John, Jesus is speaking to his disciples at the Last Supper when he says, “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all of people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another” John 13:34-35.

The idea of loving people was not necessarily new, but the idea of loving others as Jesus loved, was!  His love was sacrificial and not selfish.  His love offered hope and did not condemn. His love was exactly what the world needed then…and the same is true now. 

Our actions will always speak louder than our words or our posts.  And so, during these uncertain times, when newsfeeds are chirping round the clock, and EVERYTHING feels controversial, I hope we all will remember to cling to this call! To love FIRST.  To love as Jesus did.  And to love in spite of our differences. 

© 2020 by Corrie Gerbatz. All rights reserved.

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