association

Have you ever been a part of a large association? One where everyone tends to group up by their status. Different economic status groups pop up all over the place. You have the country clubbers all together in one cluster, you have the regular everyday hard working people in one cluster and so on. You end up with groups of people with like interests, and it isn't totally their fault.
We tend to sit on the outside of the groups and judge, accuse them of being snobby or conceited, but we don't realize the dynamics. If you are in a certain financial situation, you have like interests with others in that same predicament. It's automatic in all different types of groups.
One thing we often fail to do is see people for what they are, that is people. We think if someone has a lot of money, and is well of they have no reason to associate with us. But, in a church setting we should all have one thing in common. A love for Christ and a hunger to reach the lost. If we see people as living, breathing, heart filled organisms we will realize that underneath all that exterior we're all equals. Those who are in good financial standing should make sure they realize that as much as those of us who are not.
Romans 12:16 says, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate iwth people of low position. Do not be conceited."
One of the main components of living in harmony with those aroundus is being willing to associate with everyone rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, fun to be around or boring. We all have the same basic needs, food, water, air, shelter and ofcourse forgiveness of our sins. We all sin which is another major equalizer.
That is one reason I feel I hung on to youth ministry as long as I did. You can take a spoiled, well off teenager and watch them build a relationship and strong bond with a kid who barely eats dinner each night. It's far easier to build harmony within the lives of young people than it is adults. I think in some ways we adults could learn a lot from middle schoolers. While they are all striving to be cool in their own way, they don't pay so much attention to who has what, but who does what is the important thing in their circles.
So live in harmony, if you are in a high position throw off your shackles of pride and associate with those who are not, and the same goes for the other side of the equation. Harmony comes from the hearts of teh group being united, it really has nothing to do with anything else.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!