When you look at this picture what do you see? Now ask the person next to you how they view the image? Have you ever been to an art gallery and stared at the creative work that the artists displayed? Some of their work is quite mesmerizing, while the others you don’t quite understand. Did you happen to overhear the thoughts of the person next to you as they viewed the same artwork, and they saw and felt differently than you? Most of the times when I hear the thoughts of others I tend to view it the way they did to better understand their thought process. We may not necessarily agree with how they saw the artwork, but we respected each other’s viewpoint. Simply put, their prospective is different than yours!
Do you remember the last time you liked something, and someone asked you why? You may have liked a certain movie and that person didn’t agree with you (sometimes we feel guilty for liking it afterwards, but don’t). They may have even given you an example of a movie they thought was better. At times these kinds of differences may even bring about a friendly debate. For the most part I have appreciated the differences in thought that others have, because it allows me to see things outside of my ‘box’. It reminds me that there are other ways of seeing things. Plus, it makes life more interesting.
Nowadays, I have viewed the oppression of people who think differently than others. I think at times we forget that we are not all the same, and that we all have a different thought process or approach to something. When I was younger I had friendly debates with others of differing opinions, and it never escalated into something that made the other person feel crappy. In today’s society, with mainly social media, we tend to demean others, and offer an opinion that is meant to create tension. One person goes off, and then another (and round and round it goes). If you don’t agree with someone...that is simply that! You will not be able to convince them to change their mind, especially if they are passionate about it, and I am pretty sure that they cannot change yours either.
We were all created differently, with different thoughts, opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. We are so busy trying to change the other person, or accuse the other person of being hateful or insensitive, that we forget to love one another as God has commanded. The Bible says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13: 34-35). Yes, this means to love those you don’t agree with! You may not love their thoughts, actions, or opinions, but you can always choose to love them! The Bible also says in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”. For the most part it is possible, it is just a matter of whether we want to or not. It is a choice...so choose wisely!
I tell my children all the time, people will have their opinions, and you may not agree with it, but you can’t change them. So love them, pray for them, and move on, because there is nothing else you can do about it. I love you all and GBY!
Comments