Alia Joy
About the Author

Alia Joy is an author who believes the darkness is illuminated when we grasp each other's hand and walk into the night together. She writes poignantly about her life with bipolar disorder as well as grief, faith, marriage, poverty, race, embodiment, and keeping fluent in the language of hope in...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
& you will too!
Find more at DaySpring.com
(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Thank you Alia such a tough topic for so many but you have pointed out the truth that we do belong to each other underneath the differences of our outward appearance and native tongues we are all the same, Gods children and need to walk with, defend, love, understand and be for each other in order to accomplish what God has planned for us. I was born in the era of cultural diversity in Australia, the year “multiculturalism ” was political policy, although the application of these policies were handled very differently by each state and I would not say equality existed for all, I only knew life as the child of a black mother and white father. The world over people suffer are still suffering from embedded racism whether in political systems, conflicts or everyday attitudes but these are problems of the world – God loves us all and made us all unique these differences exhibit his creative artistry, a celebration in difference yet we are all his masterpiece, no two the same. We need to celebrate this very fact in our actions and interactions with each other. Thank you for the reminder.

  2. Alia Joy,
    I think we are afraid of those who are different than us. I also think we have pride, thinking that we are somehow better than someone else. Fear and pride both keep us from the greatest commandment…to love others as we love ourselves. I admit being somewhat afraid of those from Middle Eastern culture, basically because I didn’t truly know someone up close and personal. In working with my brothers and sisters in Christ to build a school in the epicenter of evil in the Middle East, I am getting to know and understand their walk. Attempting to try on their shoes and walk a mile breaks down fear and pride and builds love and unity. Our cultures are vastly different, but we are of the same Spirit…the Holy Spirit. They are most definitely persecuted for their faith…this is something foreign to me. We are called, however, even to love those who persecute them (tougher still). As you said, though we are diverse, together we are a true reflection and representation of God. I believe, if we open our hearts, Love can build a bride between our hearts and those who may be different from us. Loved this post!
    Blessings,
    Bev

  3. Alia Joy,

    I believe this is how the Lord meant for us to be.

    Thank-you for gently reminding us.

    Amen (to your prayer).
    Penny

  4. Alia Joy, I would like to thank you for writing this. Afraid to say too much, I have incriminated myself. I would like to add to the list of racism, ethnicity,language, color, culture, history. I also see as damaging and not treating the people as created in the image and likeness of God those with mental illness, poverty, neighborhood they live in, homelessness, family dysfunction, destructive generational strongholds, prison, families who have children in foster care, etc. We run in fear from those we are to be loving, and pretending we don’t see, or make our judgement calls, or overwhelmed by needs or our own feelings of inadequacy of what we do, or our desire to be accepted, etc. There are differences. Thank you for pointing this out, and our stories are not the same, but valuable to make a we/us, the shared family and body in Christ. I don’t think I’ve made sense, I know what I want to say, but am struggling to find the words in my own brain to wrap all of this up in my own head and how this affects me and the way I think and act, and respond. Also as you said to be teachable, and humble, and ask the hard questions of them, but also of myself. Blessings, Joanne

  5. Alia,
    I am reminded of Matthew West’s song Do Something. It speaks of seeing a world in trouble and wanting God to do something about it! God’s response is I did something I created you! Meaning God expects us to love our neighbors-the homeless, mentally ill, blacks, Hispanics, poor, etc. He wants us to go out there and do something about all this! Is it hard & scary at times –yes! But, God is with us and gives us the strength we need to just do it!
    I worked at a university for a while. I got to see a lot of diversity there! I dealt with LGBT, foreign students even from Middle East wearing burkas. It was hard to deal with them, but you just treated them like everyone else and showed them God’s love!!
    Blessings 🙂

  6. Alia … you never fail to wield a beautiful word paintbrush … I am always enriched as I savor your words, your heart. Thanks for widening my borders, for adding depth to my heart. I always smile when I see your name show up … I know I’m in for a bountiful feast.

    My best to you today …

  7. This piece reminds me of something I wrote a couple of months ago.

    THE OTHER SIDE
    by Larry Brook
    September 2015

    Have we come this far to be so far apart:
    you on the one side andI on the other.

    What remains in this vast wasteland in between:
    You on one side and I on the other.

    Once I called you brother , and you did the same:
    now here we are you on one side and I on the other.

    I wish the choice could be another:
    not leaving you on one side
    and I on the other.

  8. I love you, and I have missed you. (Insert rest of gushing comment and all the Yes and Amens appropriate – which is all of them, indeed!) That is all.