This week we have been in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We needed to visit the Irwin Seating Company to look at options for seating in the sanctuary. Since we were making the trip, we also made plans to visit with the staff of Cornerstone UMC – one of the fastest growing United Methodist churches in the country. We always love visiting different churches and gaining ideas from what they were doing.
I have to confess, as I was getting ready to make this trip, I wasn’t very excited. My family told me, “You’ll have fun on this trip, Michigan is such a beautiful state.” Almost immediately I responded, “No, there’s not really that much in Michigan.” They asked me what else we would be doing besides visiting the church and seating factory and immediately I had the thought, “Well, there’s not really anything to do in Michigan.”
The fact is that I had never been to Michigan before and I did not know what it was like or what activities it offered. Yet, I had a knee-jerk reaction to how I felt about the state. At this point, let me just interject that I grew up in Ohio. For those who might not know, there is a strong Ohio-Michigan rivalry. But I wasn’t a die-hard Ohio State fan. I just grew up in an area where most people cheered for Ohio over Michigan. I let prejudice invade my thinking without ever questioning it.
The landscape here in Michigan is absolutely lovely and the people have been nothing but kind and friendly. I love college football, but I don’t need to let a game mold my judgment. Are there prejudices that you have grown up with that have shaped the way you think? It is fun to have your favorite team, but a game should not affect the way we think about other people who have also been created in the image of God.
At dinner the other night we had a lovely waitress who was born and raised in this area. I asked her if she cheered for Ohio State and she looked at me like I was crazy.
It seems Michigan is more like Ohio than I imagined. Go Buckeyes! But, God bless us all!
