Inspiration Source: Cross-cultural Servanthood by Duane Elmer
Do Not Judge, Lest Ye be a Counselor
It takes the average person less than 5 seconds to decide whether they want to have a relationship with someone. By then, they have already stuffed that individual into a schema; one of millions of little boxes we form in our mind into which we place everything we know. There's a red pen box (which itself can be related to many other boxes; the school box, the teaching box, the anger or failure box, etc.), and that is inside the pen box, which is inside the writing utensil box, which is inside the writing box, and on it goes. There are certain things we know about the items in our boxes. If something comes up that doesn't fit, we have two options; make a new box, or change the one we have.
But most people choose a third box: they just pretend the difference was never there. This way, they can keep their boxes just the way they are. And thus stereotypes are born.
One thing needs to be understood here; everyone has schemas. Even the tribal man who has never heard of anything even relatively what we would consider modern. And they serve us well. Don't hate the schemas. Hate the tendency to ignore what doesn't fit. There's a flip side to that, as well; don't hate people who stereotype you; it's all they know (they've only got their boxes to work with). And some people stereotype you incorrectly simply because they have not encountered something different. Once you show them, they'll change their schemas.
Even once you know someone intimately, personally, and uniquely though, they will still have their schemas. Mom has her own little box, with many other boxes interconnected. And here's what I'm wanting to get at: successful professional counselors are those who are exceptionally good at figuring out what box a person fits into. They have a grand repertoire of schemas available to them, and they have a keen sense of hints at which ones a person belongs to. We pay them to stereotype us.
Disclaimer: this is not an argument against counselors. I personally greatly appreciate the work good counselors do (although I consider good counselors to be on the endangered species list). It is simply a thought, with the conclusions up to you.
And you know, I might add that this box issue is the same stumbling block for every religion and denomination; we ignore the things that break our arguments; those things that don't fit in with what we believe. God help us.
Unity
“Accept one another...just as Christ accepted you...so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy...[and] hope in Him.” Romans 15:7, 9, 12
A few points to note: (1) being accepting of one another within the church and of those who don't believe or behave as we suppose they ought brings glory to God. (2) It causes the nonbelievers to come to glorify Him for His mercy. If they have to glorify God for His mercy that we can accept one another and get along, it means that a.) we can only be unified by an act of God and b.) we must accept one another as Christ accepts us; in ways that we don't deserve. We don't deserve acceptance. That is why accepting one another is a demonstration of His mercy. (3) If others see that God is so merciful, and so powerful as to help us do such a thing, they will be willing to place their hope in Him.
Humanity
“Is that a prostitute?” “No. That's not a prostitute. That's a person, in prostitution.”
I read a story in this book of a man who gave his life to try to save a group of horrid epileptics—the kind who, at that time, had no real kind of life. To add to some of the conversation of my last post, let me ask you this: would you give your life for an invalid to live? What if they wouldn't get better? What if they didn't even ever become saved?
Would Jesus give His life for an invalid?
How about another question: Would Jesus give His life for a cripple so marred they hardly resemble their Father anymore?
Get the picture?
~While we were still sinners, He endured the shame; how can I ever be ashamed?
-Colton J. Stollenmaier, M.I.A.
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