What’s surprising to me is not how different we can all be, but how quickly we make assumptions about other people and their choices. It would be easy for someone to think that I’m just a sloppy dresser, instead of considering that I live in a rural area and am as likely to walk in a pasture for a pastoral conversation as to go to a coffee shop.
Snap judgments can get in the way of relationships. We might pre-decide that a person who looks one way or dresses another would not be a friend to us or perhaps we wouldn’t be a friend to her. It is sad to think how quickly we make decisions to protect ourselves without having all the information.
Just like our wardrobes, personal habits, and hobbies differ, our stories are our own. When we take the time to listen to one another, to be patient, to offer a smile or hold back a quick retort, then we may be the moment of peace our sister or brother needs in their day.
This message is an excerpt from “More to the story” by Julia Seymour in the March 2020 issue of Gather magazine.
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