Different, Yet the Same

I’m always struck by the “same-ness” of humanity. And yet, why should I be? They’re human, after all. Somehow, we think that people in far-off countries with different cultures and customs, must be so different from us. How they think and feel must be completely opposite to how we think and feel. And in a way, that can be true. But when it comes down to it, how I feel and react mirrors much of how they feel and react. They still have basic needs. They still love their families. And they still have an emptiness that only Christ can fill. So very different, yet more similar than first meets the eye. It’s not the difference or the similarities I should focus on, but the humanity. I have heard it said that people don’t need to be able to relate to the exact experience, but they can relate to the emotion. So I often find it to be true, living in a country where I cannot understand the larger part of what is being said. Yet I can understand humanness, the emotions: joy, excitement, sorrow, fear, those all have their own language. There are words in each language to express and explain them, yet they’re obvious, whether they can be explained or not. Right now, I’m watching three young ladies get into the pool. I did hear them use their word for cold, at least once, but I already knew by their facial expressions and tones that it was cold. Along with the knowledge that even though it’s 30 degrees, the water tends to always be fairly cold. Now as they giggle together, though I know not what about, I can smile as well, enjoying their mirth. What a gift of human experience! We often fear or hate what we do not understand or relate to. I think of cultures where violence is the norm. It’s hard to think of what they must endure, so I’ve insulated myself by convincing myself that surely they must not feel the same way I feel. They must not experience physical and emotional pain the same way. How could they? And yet, imagine my shock to find out the love they have for their families; the pain they face daily. It gives me great compassion because I have One who shelters me, and when I go through the storm, He goes through it with me. Many of them do not yet have this Friend. May I see them through the Eyes of Christ!