Our humanity

Ey you!

It has been a while since I expressed my thoughts on this platform. I am generally expressing myself in different mediums on social media, but in the same breath life just gets really busy. I just hopped on here quickly as I wanted to share some thoughts about our humanity with you today, if you are keen to read. 

We all live life looking at the world through a certain lens. This world view is molded by our upbringing, culture, societal norms, faith and many other avenues. I think it is so beautiful to be in conversation with someone who wasn't stimulated by the same contributing factors we experienced while shaping our world view. Someone of a different ethnicity, culture and sexuality - just to mention a few contributing factors.

The world has always been up in arms with the difference of opinion. One group suggests that abortion is wrong, the other that it is okay. Another group says that heterosexuality is the only way in which humans can romantically and sexually be attracted to each other, and another group says, "we were not born that way". Some say that monogamy is the only way we can successfully carry relationships long term and others find that committing to more than one partner is more practical. The list is endless and we are always in conversation debating which world view is correct and which is incorrect. 

I grew up in a Christian home, and it is from this place that I have viewed the world. However, in the same breath, I was never one to follow the rules - especially if the "rules" suppressed my expression of who I am. I was always the one to go for piercings, listen to music that was not mainstream and expressed myself in the most authentic ways. Now, being a lover of people, I quickly had to understand that I had to accept that everyone I would encounter would not have the same world view as I do, and that is totally okay. 

A few months ago I had this moment where I looked at some of the people around me and I looked at them with secret judgement at the version of who they were right in front of me. Being who I am, the judgement doesn't last long and I lean into who I really see them to be. I try to view them in who they  potentially could be if they were not tainted by the brokenness of the world. Then I had a thought! I started thinking that the version of who they are today is because of the life they have lived and is living. The brokenness and the trauma they had to work through or even run away from. The lack of love they didn't experience, from key people in their lives. The constant battles they had and continue to face. All of this and more has contributed to the version of who they are today. 

So what happens when we meet someone who do not see life through the same lens as we do? What happens when they live a completely different life to ours? We love on them, because WE ARE HUMANITY. Our stories on this side of eternity is wrapped in brokenness and pain. Yes, we can take the journey of healing, and that journey is hard, but we are at different paces on this journey called life. This life is to be lived and living looks different for different people. This life is also about being. This means that we feel intentionally and we move freely. Again, this will look different for every person. 

I guess this is what Lecrae was talking about in his song, broken, where he says, "we all need grace in the face of each other". We can only have grace for another once we realize that we are very much on the same journey. We are processing life on this side of eternity. We are on one journey as human kind, but we live in different realities. So how dare we dismiss someone else's humanity by saying, "It is not supposed to be done that way!", when we do not know the story of that particular individual's life. 

We are on a journey, family. And that journey is not an easy journey to navigate through. It is terrifyingly beautiful. 

As we engage with other human beings, let us take the intentional approach that they too are human. It is maturity to love on others from that place. This is how we create community. We do not dismiss people because they are different to us., that is not how community is built. We sing different songs and write different stories. We are the writers of our own stories. We are all just looking at life through different lenses. And those lenses have been molded by many different contributing factors in our lives. 

Love can be pure and pure love can heal. Your intention of someone else's humanity and the way you treat them could help them be the same for someone else!

Love Ro