Snowflake
For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ
have put
on Christ.
There is
neither Jew nor Greek,
there is
neither bond nor free,
there is
neither male nor female:
for ye are
all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye
be Christ's,
then are
ye Abraham's seed
and heirs
according to the promise.
--
Galatians 3:27-29
We had this
friend who was a good golfer and a bit of a practical joker. He was a very
sweet, solid Christian, a salesman, husband and father. He has gone to be with
the Lord now. But of all the stories about him that keep his memory alive, this
one stands out - especially with Martin Luther King Day tomorrow, and the
inauguration Tuesday of Barack Obama, our nation's first President who is a
person of color.
See, one hot
summer day, many years ago, our friend arrived at his golf club to find out
that the newest club member, an African-American businessman new to the city,
had been placed in his foursome for the morning. Mix-and-match scheduling is a
nice way of introducing someone new to fellow club members. This was long
before Tiger Woods, and long before there were many golfers of color at country
clubs anywhere. In fact, I think the new guy was the first African-American to
join this particular club.
They played the
first nine holes in pleasant companionship. The African-American man was a good
athlete, but so new to golf that he was constantly in trouble. His ball flew
into the rough, under trees, out of bounds, and into the sandtraps. But every
now and then, he would hit a beauty, right down the middle of the fairway. His
game so far had a striking inconsistency, you could say.
On the 10th
tee, he hit his drive. That's when it started.
Our friend said,
"Nice shot, Snowflake."
Hunh? Was that a
cut? The African-American man frowned, but said nothing.
A few holes
later, he hit another good shot. "Way to go, Snowflake," our friend said again.
Heyyy! A racial
slur!?! The African-American shot him a scowl this time.
On the last tee, he
hit his drive right in front of the green, in position to get a birdie. And our
friend said, "You're in good shape, Snowflake."
That's when
"Snowflake" blew his stack.
He stalked over
and stood toe to toe with our friend. The tall black man glared down at the
short white man with a mixture of menace, hurt and puzzlement, and demanded:
"Why do you keep
calling me 'Snowflake'? What are you, a racist?"
Our friend stared
back up at him, smiling, savoring the moment.
"Why, noooo," he
said.
"I call you
'Snowflake' . . . because every single one of your golf swings is DIFFERENT!"
They eyes stayed locked.
It was as silent as
snowfall.
The black man looked
deep into the eyes of the white man, and saw the innocence there . . . the good
intentions . . . the humor . . . the friendship . . . and his icy frown melted
into a warm grin of recognition.
This white guy was no racist. He was just trying to initiate
him into the world of men's weekend golf. In that world, it doesn't matter who
you are or what color skin you have . . . you're going to get razzed. Equal
opportunity razzing! The meaner they are to you, the more you can consider
yourself accepted. So he hadn't been insulted. Actually, he'd arrived!
It broke the ice. They were friends, and played golf
together, for many years after that.
I love that story. It reminds us that, just as every golf
swing is different and every snowflake is different, every person is different,
special, unique and valuable.
And just like an individual snowflake, let's remember: an
individual spirit is colorless. It's a huge waste of time to fixate on details
like skin color, and let them define us in any way.
By breaking racial barriers as Dr. King and President-elect
Obama have done, that truth will now be accessible to millions more people
around the world.
Think of the impact of just those two human "snowflakes."
Both of them had obstacles and problems in their lives, but the way they
responded to them just made them all the more attractive to the rest of us. In
the same way, snowflakes change: the longer they whirl around and the more they
go through - the more ups and downs, and temperature changes, and wind gusts --
the more complexity they develop, the more layers they add on in different
directions, and the more beautiful they become.
Just like each of us.
Think, too, about this: even though one individual snowflake
is wonderful, it is in context that it fulfills its purpose. When it is in
"community" with other snowflakes, millions of them, in a snowbank or snowman
or even a massive snowball fight among friends, it means the most.
It's the same thing with Americans. Merging our diversity
into unity is what our country is all about.
So even though I didn't vote for Obama and have political
views that . . . excuse the expression . . . are POLAR opposites from his, I
still recognize him as a baptized Christian who is heir to the same promises I
cling to. And so I wish him well.
I hope and pray for his Presidency to be served with grace,
truth, strength, humor . . . and most of all, faith in the One Who made us,
each and every one, with our greatest beauty evident in our unmeasurable
diversity.
So, go, Obama! Go get 'em, Snowflake!
And remember, without each other and our Creator, we
wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell. †
