Showing How God’s Love Brings People Together

January 13, 2024

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." That is one of the most famous quotes by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s also one of the most misunderstood. Many people think he was talking about being “color blind.” But seeing the color or race of a person has never been the problem; using their race as a barrier to equality and justice, however, has. How can we teach our children how to see and embrace the diversity God created and value it as much as he does?

Racism has not only separated members of our earthly communities, but also—because racism is a sin—it has also separated us from our heavenly community. Fortunately, God demonstrated the power of unifying love in the sinless life, death, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. Our faith in Christ reconciles us back to God, and our active participation in his ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) reunites us with one another. When we love others the way God loves us, we can live in peace and unity, just like the Jews and Gentiles Christ reconciled, as seen in Ephesians 2:14-22.

As discussed in this week’s devotional, this science experiment can visually illustrate the power of God’s love. Just as Christ made peace between Jews and Gentiles, we must be peacemakers and teach our children how God’s love can bridge the differences when conflict happens. Check out how two different liquids, like oil and water, CAN mix if you use an emulsifying ingredient like an egg yolk. This fun activity can then lead to a family discussion about God’s reconciling love.

What You Need

• 1 cup of water

• food coloring

• 1 cup of vegetable oil

• 1 egg yolk (or a few teaspoons of dish soap)

• spoon

• glass jar

Directions

You might want to try it all before showing it to others. Pour oil into a glass jar. Add a couple of food coloring drops to your water and mix it up. Then, pour your colored water into the jar. Mix the colored water and oil with a spoon. Wait a few minutes and show how the oil and colored water separate. You may decide here to define an emulsifier as a substance that can bring together two other substances that like to separate. 

Make the comparison. In this visual illustration, the egg yolk represents the love of God. The oil and water symbolize two groups of people with many differences and conflicts. When God’s love is mixed in, they are no longer separated.

Add a few spoonfuls of the egg yolk into the jar and mix it with the oil and colored water. Mix enough egg yolk until the oil and colored water no longer separate.

Discussion

In your discussion, some of the following questions could be explored:

• How can your family participate in God’s ministry of reconciliation and help bring people together (2 Corinthians 5:18)? What are some fun ways that we can celebrate people’s cultural and ethnic differences and find ways to be together?

• How can we show each person that we are all made in the image of God?

• How do we see God's creativity in how he created people? What are some wonderful ways God made you and your family unique?

Pray for God’s guidance on how your home and community can represent God’s love and heavenly kingdom here on earth. Pray, listen, and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit as he shows you the way.

Want to do a deep dive? Check out Family Fire's article What It Means to Love Another.