There are some Disney attractions you ride because they’re thrilling…and then there’s It’s a Small World. You ride this one, and whether you want to or not, you’ll probably be singing the song for the rest of the day!

But beneath that song that gets stuck in our heads is actually a beautiful reminder. As the boats move from room to room, we see children representing different countries, cultures, languages, clothing, and traditions. They don’t all look alike. They don’t all dress alike. Their worlds are different. And yet, they’re all singing the same song.

In Acts 17, Paul reminds us that God created all the nations of the earth. Different people. Different places. Different stories. Yet every one of us is part of the human family God has created.

Sometimes our world doesn’t feel very small. The differences between us can seem enormous. We divide ourselves by nationality, politics, race, language, religion, economics, and all sorts of other boundaries.

But maybe It’s a Small World offers us a little glimpse of what God wants us to remember:

Difference does not have to mean division.

God never asks us to become exactly alike. Instead, God invites us to recognize something holy in one another.

One of the beautiful visual moments is near the end of the attraction, when many of the children appear together dressed largely in white and gold. After traveling through all those different regions and cultures, suddenly everyone is gathered into one enormous celebration.

Maybe that final room is what catches my attention most. We’ve traveled through all these different parts of the world, and then everyone comes together. Their differences haven’t disappeared—but now they’re part of something larger.

It makes me think of the vision in Revelation 7:9:

‘a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.’

The kingdom of God isn’t a place where our differences are erased. It is a place where our differences no longer keep us apart.

So maybe the invitation of this little boat ride is bigger than we realize.

What would happen if we began looking at the people around us—not first as strangers, not first by what makes them different from us—but as people who belong to God’s great, beautiful world right alongside us?

Because maybe the world becomes a little smaller every time we choose curiosity instead of judgment, welcome instead of exclusion, and love instead of fear.

Who is God inviting you to see differently today?

I invite you to pray with me….

“God of every nation, every language, and every people, help us see your image in those who are different from us. Make our world a little smaller by making our hearts a little bigger. Teach us to live as your beloved children together. Amen.

Copyright © 2026 Ronda Welander