The differences in people make up God’s rainbow of humanity. As gorgeous as landscapes and natural wonder can be, humanity is God’s most amazing creation.

When the news carries so many despicable stories about the crazy and cruel things that happen in the world, I can’t help wondering why God created us in the first place. But I do know the answer. We are the part of His creation that was entrusted with the gift of communication, a will of our own, and the ability to invent and create. In a very small way, we have the ability to think and create as He does. We are a reflection on a very small scale of Him. We have the ability to choose a relationship with God, or not.

Even when humanity at large makes huge mistakes and bad choices, or when natural disasters occur, there is still a beautiful mass of people among the rubble who look to God, bring forth their very best, and try to restore beauty in the world. With the recent earthquakes and tsunamis, there has been great devastation and loss of life. Yet, the survivors remain full of compassion and hope. They will deal with their losses, rebuild, fall in love again, have more children, and press onward.

Humanity, unlike the wild kingdom around us, has the ability to take control of our environment, to rebuild, and to improve. We have been given the internal gifts needed to impact our own lives and our world. These powers are not always used for good. There are those who become corrupted with power, controlled by greed, and are totally selfish in their ambition. But the potential for good is always there and humans have the ability to change internally and correct themselves.

Individually, we ought not to squander such amazing gifts as those God has placed within us. Imagine what the world would be like if each person in the world developed their personal potential and had the goal of making the world a better place for everyone and not just for their own self individually. Imagine a world where all people worked together for good.

There must be leadership and laws of governance respected and observed in order to define what is good and acceptable in any society, in any culture, in any family, in any group, and in the heart of any individual. When people become rebellious in their hearts, wanting their personal agenda regardless of how that impacts others is when trouble comes to what could have been a perfect world.

I talk to a lot of people and listen to their stories. I’m a story gatherer for one project or another that I’m writing about. What all people have in common is the need for food, shelter, the desire to be loved, and the need for purpose in their lives. What I’ve discovered time and time again is that every person has a story. Every story is worth hearing.

Human beings are resilient. We are all stronger than we think, and capable of overcoming great difficulties in life. The best inside of us often shines brightest in the darkest night. We all have a storehouse of knowledge from our own life experiences. Out of that personal knowledge comes compassion, forgiveness, hope, and the ability to help others. Out of our greatest challenges and accomplishments comes our ability to trust in our Creator and opportunities to give ourselves into His care.

What would the world be like tomorrow if just for one day every living soul put their own selfish agendas aside and did only what was good for those around them and for humanity at large? Of course, that isn’t going to happen, but it can happen in us as individuals as we write our own story and leave our signature on humanity.

Reach longtime Enterprise columnist Judith Victoria Hensley at judith99@bellsouth.net or on Facebook. Check out her blog: One Step Beyond the Door.