Day seven of the Alaskan trip was spent in Canada, our neighbors to the north. We were in the beautiful province of Victoria in British Columbia. To say that the city is gorgeous is an understatement.
“The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The city of Victoria is the seventh most densely populated city in Canada with 4,406 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,410/sq mi).”1
Whether looking at the ships in the harbor, watching sea planes take off, or admiring the architecture of many of the buildings surrounded by immaculate flower gardens, we couldn’t help but notice the cleanliness of the city. Everything seemed to be in its place and there wasn’t a scrap of litter anywhere. Homes and lawns were cared for, and nothing seemed to be in a state of disrepair.
We ate supper at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Oh my, the food was amazing! Lasagna,
chicken fettuccini alfredo, Italian bread with garlic butter and a dish of spumoni ice cream to end the meal. A young man waited on us with a friendliness and attentiveness that you can’t find in most places.
Do you remember how proud Mabel was of being a Canadian? She loved her new home, the United States, but she spoke of her younger years growing up in Canada with a joy that beamed from her heart. After seeing this place, I understand what she was talking about.
As Americans, we can have a certain aloofness and elitist attitude sometimes. We want to think that the USA is the best, nobody can touch our greatness, and every other place is a bit beneath us. I’m all for patriotism and nationalism. We should be proud to be an American, provided the pride isn’t ungodly or thinking we are better than anyone else.
The politics of Canada and their Prime 
Minister’s rulings throughout the years has also caused us to look with disdain upon our northern neighbors. Such an attitude is unwarranted and unfortunate. But we aren’t the only ones who possess such attitudes.
“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. (44) Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. (45) Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” (John 1:43-46)
Nathanael had turned his nose up concerning anyone coming out of Nazareth. He just couldn’t believe that anything good could come from there. How wrong he was!
We have to be very careful concerning our attitudes towards people from other places. In fact, we have to be careful about our attitudes about people period! It is dangerous to
pronounce a judgment against another person. This danger stems from something far greater than just a prejudice.
James 3:9-10 says, “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. (10) Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” Giving God unfettered praise and worship, then castigating our fellow man with our words is something that ought not to happen. Yet, we are ALL guilty of this, myself included.
What makes this such a wicked sin is that we are speaking against those made “after the similitude of God.” Is everyone made after the image of God? I challenge you to find one verse of Scripture that teaches that someone isn’t. The Bible clearly teaches that we are made after God’s image, therefore, we must be careful and kind about what we say concerning others.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27)
1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria,_British_Columbia
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
