The individuality of the one

Diversity.  For a word that encompasses so much, we give it a rather limited scope.  We generally think of it in terms of skin tone and nationality.  Lately I have been marveling at the infinite diversity of souls on this Earth - particularly the diversity of souls in the rather "homogeneous" group of North American Christians it is my privilege to interact with.  


My husband comes from a rural (RURAL) area in Oregon.  Just a few miles past Beet Dump Road sits the modest red-brick, steepled chapel of his youth.  The air inside smells of old wood, Pine-Sol and love.  The congregation is largely made up of farmers; their burly frames poured into well worn suits.  Sun reddened necks chafe against starched collars  while large, calloused hands turn the delicate pages of much used scriptures.  The refinement of the women stands in stark contrast to the geography just outside.  Despite living miles away from any sort of shopping establishment, they manage to bring grace and style with them to church, as well as a refinement of the soul.  I especially look forward to the chorister there.  She sings with exuberance.  Her face shines.  She lifts her gray haired head to heaven and with both arms flung wide she stirs the air enthusiastically in time to the music.  Oh sure, the grammar from the pulpit may slip a bit, (occasionally it landslides), but Christian charity flows through that group the way water pours between the banks of the nearby Snake river.  


Today, in our home congregation (located in an area where the occasional sighting of a chipmunk counts as a rural experience), church began with a young, teenage girl who loves to bead and go four wheeling.  She talked about the missionary experiences she has already had in her young life.  Then, a young missionary from Leeds, England spoke.  He was young and fresh faced and armed with the polished turn of phrase that is so typically English.  With unstudied, yet elegant language he bore bold testimony of what he knew to be true.  His companion (in my church they always come in twos) was a straight talking, snowboard riding, motocross racing fellow from Arizona who bore a similarly bold testimony.


I think of the women I have become friends with in my little corner of the world:
the glamorous individualist
the brusque, but deeply generous military wife
the former Gothic turned writer
the home-schooling mom who reads philosophy
the woman across the street who taught my husband how to change our breaks.
the professional opera singer
the pleasantly befuddled extrovert
the former model turned entrepreneur
the philanthropic, semi-professional decorator


The diversity found in such an "un-diversified" bunch boggles the mind.  


I get so bothered when people complain about a lack of diversity at a school or in a church or in a city.  Usually those folks are looking for the kind of diversity that exists on the surface, in the skin, in the accent or in the country of origin listed on a visa - that or they are not brave enough to see past exteriors.  Would they but scratch the surface they would find a limitless variety of personalities, pains, struggles and brilliance.  The individuality of the one transcends races and places.  


It seems to me that diversity is a well established fact, not a goal.  Perhaps the world would be better off if we focused less on external diversity and strove more for internal unity.


The Lord said, "If ye are not one, ye are not mine."  D&C 38:27


Ironically, the more we strive to become one with the Lord, the more gloriously unique we become.  That is a kind of diversity I can really get behind.