I love this photo. I loved it the first time I saw it almost 15 years ago in an LDS church magazine for youth in their teenage years, and love it even more now that it resembles my own family photo. I have it in poster size in my home and have "getting it framed and on the wall" on my list of 1,000 things to do.

If you can't read the print clearly, it says, "God created the races, but not racism. We are all children of the same Father. Violence and hatred have no place in His family." (See Acts 10:34)

You can google God and racism and get far more viewpoints than you could read in one day. Some will tell you that God created people to remain in separate and distinct races, and others will say that God created one human race, but did not create different races. On this one topic, I admit to not really caring what others think. I know in my heart that God created us in His image and declared it to be good.

That's enough for me, and I pray that it will be enough for my children and grandchildren. I want them to look in the mirror knowing they were created in His image regardless of the color of their eyes, the texture of their hair, the shade of their skin, or whether they came to our family by birth or by adoption. Just as I don't have favorites among my children but love them all, I truly believe that "all are alike unto God."

May you take the time to ponder this today and if you have racist thoughts you need to overcome, may the photo and thoughts above aid you in your journey.

Coming soon...

1. An open letter from a woman who calls herself a racist even though you probably wouldn't view her as one.
2. Viewpoint from an Asian adoptee on why he feels Asians and Blacks have much in common.