Articles
People
It is always interesting to watch people, and there’s a lot to be learned by watching them. How they dress. What they do. How they respond to their children and other people. How they walk. How they smile or frown. How they carry themselves. Are they in a hurry or moving slowly and deliberatly? How people listen when someone is talking to them.
We are different (an understatement, I know). We all have many influences in and on our lives. We all have family tendencies. We are all shaped by our experiences and to what we have been exposed. How did God make us so varied?
Yet we all have at least two things in common. We are all created in His image, and we have all sinned. So no matter how different we are, we are all basically alike. We all have the same need. We’re all affected by the same downfall. We are all trying to grow to be what God wanted when He created us.
If that is true, why is there often such difficulty getting along with each other? It may be overly simplistic, but the answer is in the observation. The very things that make us who we are contribute to that challenge. There are many ways to measure personalities. Personalities are called “Type A” or some other type. Supposedly “Type A” is the perfectionist. Others may be more sanguine or phlegmatic. Personality types influence how we respond to others. Our family experiences influence us too. So do our spiritual beliefs.
So, when we see someone else, how do we see them? Do we see them as an enemy, friend, or are we cautious? If we have been hurt, most likely we will be a little skeptical. If we are cynical everything will be filtered through that lens.
Jesus demonstrated how to get along with all types and summed it up in this: ”For whatsoever you would that a man would do unto you, do you also unto him” (Matt. 7:12). No matter the situation, we should treat others the same way we want to be treated. That is golden!
