What Dolce & Gabbana, Senator Tim Scott, and Jesus have in common - They're outliers.

Let's get this straight. God isn't colorblind. God doesn't ignore ethnicity. He sees every color vividly. In fact, He cares for every life, every nation, and every struggle. Nothing sneaks by Him and no human prejudice sways His attention or affection.

There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:28

But He's also not oblivious. He knows the plight of being born into a society and time that doesn't perfectly set up every human for an equal life experience. A Nigerian Chibok mother's story has likely been drastically different than a teenage, Hispanic boy's in Jasper, Texas. Even within the same community, the same church, the same race, the same gender, and the same age...I cannot assume that the person sitting next to me will have the same experience or the same heart.

Lately, Ive been fascinated by outliers. The lone characters who seemingly would fit within the boundaries of one group but are surprisingly contrarian instead. People like Alveda King, Milo Yiannopolous, Abby Johnson, and Hazem Farraj. My fascination isn't because I may or may not agree with them...its because their experiences and identities are exceptionally unique.

What I realize is that the outliers are game-changers. They often end up writing successful books, running for political positions, starting social justice movements, or starring in reality tv. They draw both extremely positive and extremely negative attention because they are different.  Outliers draw a lot of criticism because people perceive them as being traitors to their stereotypes. But this criticism doesn't come from those that you could so easily call racists or bigots- the insults commonly come from those they most closely resemble. You see this as Gays turn against Dolce and Gabbana, the Black community calls Senator Tim Scott an Uncle Tom, and as Muslims hurl threats at Nabeel Qureshi. Outliers signal a direction shift in society-often an un-welcomed one. Even those these shifts maybe small, they still threaten our comfort level. People don't like change and they generally don't respect people they can't understand.

Jesus was also an Outlier.

The Jews expected a reigning conqueror that would come to uphold the law with a firm hand, but they got a lowly carpenter that honored women, debated the law,  and ate with sinners. He did not fit their ideas of a leader, much less a Savior. Not surprisingly, they still don't acknowledge Him as that today. Jesus was harshly criticized, arrested, and killed...not because he was guilty but because His words, actions, and influence were threatening the cultural laws of the day. Jesus' life and death changed the entire game. He changed the whole world. Think of how many hospitals, NGOs, and social justice groups have been formed because of His teaching and disciples.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

What about those people in America choosing abstinence? Because of Jesus' beliefs and teaching, some are holding onto purity despite overwhelming sexually gratifying influences and scrutiny from pop culture.

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ. Gal 1:10

These are just a few small examples of how Jesus' influence changed history and continues to largely influence culture. Millions around the world use their money, voice, and time in honor of the things Jesus cares about because His message and method are powerfully different than the norm. His influence continues to be powerful because His ideals are still not widely embraced by culture. What's even more beautiful about Jesus is that even though His experience was vastly different than mine, He still loves me and understands me.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

This is why it's important to humble ourselves. To shut up before we speak. To ask God to show us how to see through His eyes; To love others as He loves them. We can't rely on how we've been raised, what community we belong to, or even how our experiences have adjusted our view. To see people through God's eyes we have to reject biased influences. As Christians, our ideologies have to be constantly evaluated to be re-aligned with His. Jesus was an outlier and we are forever changed because of that.