The Beauty of Differences - Steve & Celestia Tracy

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12

My wife Celestia and I started attending Hope City two and a half years ago when we moved to Milwaukie from SW Portland. One of the things that quickly attracted us to Hope City was its diversity. We found people of varied ages, ethnicities, economic resources, and life experiences. Given the fact that people tend to be most comfortable being around others just like them, we have found Hope City’s diversity a rare blessing. Over the years we have been deeply enriched through relationships with people very different from ourselves.

Celestia and I were both blessed to grow up in loving Christian families. In our churches and schools, we were surrounded by people who looked and believed just like us. It wasn’t until God led us to found Mending the Soul Ministries (MTS) twenty-one years ago and we began to build numerous deep friendships with people of dramatically different cultures that we realized how much we had missed in our safe, comfortable homogeneous settings. MTS exists to provide Christ-centered healing resources for survivors of abuse and other forms of trauma. We serve a wide variety of communities in the US and around the world. We could recount hundreds of stories about how people dramatically different from us have humbled, taught, and blessed us in huge ways. Here are just a few brief examples:

• Early in the MTS story, God led Celestia to begin working with sex-trafficked young women. Nothing could have been farther from our life experience. We were raised in a purity culture that prided itself on avoiding sexual sin at all costs. We had very little understanding of the life-long traumas and vulnerabilities these women experienced. As we began to hear their stories and build friendships with these women, they taught us many unexpected, powerful lessons about forgiveness, grace, and authenticity.  
• Almost ten years ago, we began partnering with Indigenous Bible College in Flagstaff, Arizona. We were staggered at how much intergenerational pain is carried by our Native American brothers and sisters. Living in a “white bubble,” you don’t see this pain, and you don’t get the wonderful opportunity to learn from their different cultures and to be challenged by their experiences. We have learned so much from witnessing the perseverance and grace of Native American students who follow Jesus at great personal costs, costs we have not experienced. And we’ve been greatly challenged and blessed by their focus, not on individual but collective well-being. They have taught us much about putting others’ needs above our own.
• We think of the many individuals MTS has served over the years who struggle with debilitating mental illness. Celestia and I couldn’t understand this struggle since it hadn’t been our own experience, until we began to hear their stories. In doing so, we gained new insights and appreciation for the battle they face daily.    
• Finally, we think of the illiterate African pastors we’ve served. Men and women who didn’t finish grade school who shepherd poor, humble congregations. Most of these pastors receive no income whatsoever from their church. They have taught us so much about contentment and servanthood. 

In conclusion, we now live in an era where many view diversity as a serious threat. In reality, diversity can be a strength. We all have blind spots and biases. Our experiences and insights are incomplete. We need each other. Our differences can be a beautiful blessing. 

 

Steve and Celestia Tracy
Volunteers | Hope City Church