Last week I met Kesim and Abdul. They work in the same building as our Breakthrough offices, running a home health care business. These 2 had the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen and it was the most enjoyable conversation I’d had in a long time.
Early last week I met Thomas and Jeremy at a task force meeting I attended. 2 amazing Native American’s who are trying to make changes in their community in the same way that I desire to.
This week I had the opportunity to come alongside and encourage a sweet mama who was in crisis. She has a very different world view than I do, but we connected on a deep level.
3 years ago I may have missed out on all of these opportunities because of my pre-conceived ideas about life and humanity. I grew up in the middle of a Native Community where I learned to despise the very people that God put in our country first.
I moved into a neighborhood that has become primarily populated with people from East Africa and I wouldn’t sugarcoat some of the negative stereotypes that are perpetrated by “well-meaning” people.
As I embraced my Christian faith, my circle got smaller as I gravitated towards people who had the same belief systems as I did. People who looked and acted the same as me. I began to make things more and more black and white and in that process became less and less like the Jesus I was following.
Over the past few years things have shifted in my life.
Brokenness will do that to a person.
Through ministering to the homeless I’ve began to view things far more clearly, through the lens I believe Jesus truly would have viewed them. I’ve learned to see people as well..people, to embrace the diversity of the world that God created.
In practicing the art of radical acceptance I have gained a new appreciation for differences rather than similarities. I have learned to embrace with empathy, other people’s stories. I used to think that I “didn’t see color” or just saw people as people. Now I SEE color and culture and those differences in a new and exciting way...sitting at the edge of my seat as I listen to other people deeply share their lives with me.
I am grateful for the self- correction that has come through this journey....
The rich experiences I’ve gained and the people I have met have been priceless.
Priceless....
Just the way Jesus would have seen all of these people.