Differences

"There are different kinds of gifts but the same spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord." 1 Cor. 12:4-5

I love seeing the deer on my walks. They are so quiet and peaceful. They are beautiful creatures. On some walks, the deer will be relatively close to the path or even in it. I like to talk to them. They stop whatever they are doing and look up at me for a minute, as if listening, then go back to their grazing.

Over the years I have known many hunters. They don't see what I see. They see lunch on 4 legs. I can't count how many times I have been made fun of and ridiculed by hunters for seeing a creature of beauty and not caring about the meat they see it as representing. Hunters think theirs is the only way and can be a bit rough on people who think differently.

We see the same animal. It can be meat on someone's table. It is also one of God's beautiful creatures. Both are correct.

Many times in life we can look at the same thing and understand it differently. More than one person can be correct at the same time. If, instead of ridiculing or arguing with one another, we should strive to see things from the other person's point of view which could make our lives more peaceful. We do not have to adopt that person's habits or point of view, just as I have no intentions of ever hunting as a hobby (or at all) and I do not care for deer meat. We can accept that their differences are valid for them and we can agree to disagree agreeably.