Anyway, that's one of the things I've been thinking about... I miss you all in Lakeland, and am thankful to be able to read everyone's posts on here while we're gone!
Love,
Jen
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
On person-hood
Well, Matt and I have been in England for the past month, and I'm sure it's time I posted on here again! We've been living in community with people from all over the world, loving, learning, studying and interacting together. More and more I believe that people are just that: persons. Slowly (or maybe quickly) we lose our humanity and our personhood in the busyness of life; we go to work and come home, interacting only with those at work or home, and we see people in categories around us. For instance, at home I last saw 5 teachers, 5 social workers, and 2 bosses, all of whom were women and either married or unmarried. I've been so blessed to slow down and begin to understand that each of those staff members were people, persons. I can see that those I'm encountering are people, and they are identified as persons with souls and bodies. Personally, I am a person. (haha) Secondly, I am a wife, a teacher, a woman, etc. But first, first, I am a person! And so are you! And so is the German woman with whom I was just speaking. And so is the person who runs our hostel, and so is each person at work or in my family or at home. From there, I can love and relate and trust. It is special to be so intimately connected to each person around me, while also recognizing that the person next to me has beautiful and unique "accents" to his or her personhood.
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3 comments:
Jen, it's delight to hear from you over there in England. We miss you and Matt! Thank you for sharing this reminder to value and appreciate one another as persons. God is a person (or three persons in the Trinity!), and it seems to me that is why Jesus taught us to love God and love one another, I think--to love each other as persons. You and Matt are in our prayers!
--RC
Jen, I really appreciate being reminded that the person next to me has beautiful and unique "accents." It's easy to miss that in the flow of life. We think of you guys offen, and we hope the rest of your travels go well. Blessings--Anna
Jen, it's great to hear your words and reflections on community, particularly in your present absence from ours in Lakeland. (Of course I realize the blog is non-geographical in definition, but I wanted to put a special word in from your Lakeland buddies.)
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