We are Humans
2 Corinthians 10:12 KJV[12] For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. I went for a potluck today, and in just four hours of games and fun, I became more emotionally attached to the people there than to some people I have spent four years with. Here's why.
When the potluck was announced in church, I was excited. I spent days thinking about it and double-checking whether it would be convenient for me to attend. Eventually, I came to a conclusion after asking myself what I stood to lose and what I stood to gain.
Early this morning, I ate breakfast and got dressed to go. I was the first person to arrive at the venue, even though I arrived 30 minutes later than the scheduled time.
As more people began to arrive, the activities started. We played quite a number of games. The table I sat at was a group table; we were Group 1. One of the people at the table was a church leader, and I noticed a shift in my attitude toward him as we continued to play together as a team.
When I first met him, he wasn't the kind of person I could comfortably look in the eye and be free around. This was because I viewed him as an authority figure. However, as we played the games and I competed against him, trying to beat him, the walls of restraint I had built in my mind began to crumble. I realized that he was human too, and I could talk to him like a normal person.
After the table games, we played a game called "Everyday Christian." After that, we played another game called "Knowing Your Neighbor." The aim of the game was to put our phones away and have intimate conversations with the person sitting beside us. We had to ask and answer deep, heartfelt questions.
The person sitting beside me had seemed somewhat distant until she answered the question, "What is the worst financial decision you have made recently?" Funny enough, she said she lost ₦200,000, and there was me, who had just lost ₦6,500, covering my face in shame. Lol.
Suddenly, both of my neighbors seemed much more human to me. Hearing their life stories and learning how they felt about certain matters made me feel free around them.
This experience may not seem like a big deal to many people, but it is a big deal to me. I am someone who often assumes that other people are better, smarter, and more stable than I am, probably because of how they appear outwardly. This mindset causes me to compare myself with them and say things like, "They must have it better than me."
But as a girl coming out of a self-centered way of thinking, I am beginning to see that people are not all that different from me. Man is simply man, and so am I.
From this little outing, I learned that people are not as intimidating as we often imagine. It is selfishness to think less of ourselves simply because we have placed others on a pedestal. What if they need what I have?
God made me special, and He made them special too. My confidence should not be in my flesh but in the God who lives in me. I am who I am because of God. So why should I shy away from preaching to a "classy" person because I assume they already have it all together? That is selfishness. It is God I must look at, not man.
The second thing I learned is that we should see ourselves as human beings and not always take ourselves so seriously. We should come down from our high horses so that people can relate to us and feel free around us.
