MARCH 30, Acts 17:26

As Tai Loong waited to see what art project the class would be doing, he looked at the variety of coloured cards. Mrs. Lin, the art teacher, turned to the class. “Tai Loong, please come up here and take the red card,” she said. Tai Loong rose from his seat and slowly walked to the front. He looked at the cards. Then he hesitantly lifted one of them, and everyone laughed. “That’s enough, class,” said Mrs. Lin. She turned to Tai Loong. “Take the red card, please,” she said. “Not the green one.”

Tai Loong frowned. “I am colour-blind,” he told her. “Oh!” said Mrs. Lin in surprise. “We will excuse you then and let someone else help with this demonstration.” So Tai Loong returned to his seat.

At recess time, Tai Loong played with Rick, a boy whose nationality was different from Tai Loong’s. They were having fun together when another classmate spoke to Tai Loong. “Hey, Tai Loong,” he called, “no wonder Rick is your friend. You cannot tell that he is a different colour.” “Ignore him,” Tai Loong told Rick. I do not get it, thought Tai Loong. Why would anybody decide to not like a person just because his skin is a different colour?

During science class a little later, the subject of colour-blindness came up again. Tai Loong was asked several questions about it. “Does it bother you that lots of times you do not know what colour things are?” asked one of the girls.

Tai Loong grinned. “It does not matter what colour they are,” he said. “Red apples taste good and so do yellow ones. Colour is not what makes something good or bad.” As he spoke, the incident at recess popped into his mind. He took a deep breath. “That is true of people, too,” he added. “God made every person, and He made them all the same in value.” He looked at the boy who had teased him at recess, and added, “I think everyone should be ‘colour-blind’ when it comes to seeing people.”

“Good for you, Tai Loong,” approved teacher. “You are absolutely right.”

Thought: Do you develop opinions about others based on skin colour? Or their background? Or how they look? Do not forget that God made everyone special.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me realise that the outward appearance of a person - a person’s size, or the colour of his skin, hair or eyes - does not make him any more or less valuable in God’s sight. Help me to think like You, and never to be biased. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.