People often say, "Imagine how boring the world would be if we were all the same?" They're right. Our lives wouldn't just be bland without variety to spice them up; they'd also be impossible.

Just contemplate trying to do everyday tasks with a team of clones of yourself. It's not a pleasant thought. And that's not just because clones of you would be, well, weird, but also because there'd be no one to fill in the gaps in your knowledge, experience or abilities. Essentially, very few things would get done and those that did would be more to difficult.

Just as the body consists of various parts all working together to achieve different things, we Christians of various races, groupings and undertakings need to unite to achieve the tasks that God has set for us.

God created us as a diverse people and He wants us to unite. That's why he gave us different skills and strengths so that we would recognise our need for one another and appreciate our individuality. And His love for variety is not just visible in us but in all aspects of His creation. Look at the many species in any ecosystem all living in synchrony, or the changing seasons, each allowing for growth and harvest.

In our world, our differences are often used as a means to create distance between us. But God intends His people to come together. He didn't make us different so that we could be subjugated because of our race, ability or experiences.

A hatred for diversity doesn't reflect a love for the one who created it. We should celebrate the differences that we have because of their beauty, usefulness and because they are the work of our Father in heaven.

Here are five Bible verses that teach us to have a heart for variety.

Galatians 3:28 – "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 – "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptised by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."

Revelation 7:9-10 – "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'"

Colossians 1:16-17 – "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."

James 2:1-4 – "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"