On Friday night, as I walked along the sidewalk to the train station, there was a Korean lady having a “discussion” with her two-year-old. While I could not understand the Korean language, it was obvious that the mother wanted to cross the alley way and the two-year-old did not. I remember having similar discussions with our two-year-olds through the years, so I could completely understand the patient mother’s dilemma.
I see scenes like that one all the time as I travel around Korea and throughout the world. We tend to think that people are different in some way because they live in a different country with a different culture. And, yes, there are differences, but there are also many strong similarities. What parent hasn’t dealt with a two-year-old with a strong will, or with a fussy baby in the middle of the supermarket, or kept a careful grip on their child as they cross the street. But, I see similar traits in adults as well. I have seen young lovers laugh and flirt on the train, I’ve seen a group of office workers laugh at a good joke, and I’ve watched an elderly couple walk hand-in-hand during their morning walk.
People around the world are not much different from us. They have dreams, hopes, and loves. They have fears, hurts, and sadness. It is these same traits that unify us in an understanding that goes beyond words and politics. And it is these same similarities that remind us that every person we meet, everywhere we go, is someone that Christ died for and needs to hear the message of his hope.
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Photo from Unsplash.com
Rodney Olsen says
So true.
I’ve had opportunity to visit quite a number of countries and always find that people are just people with the same hopes, dreams, fears and needs as the rest of us. Different cultures can sometimes mean it takes a little longer to connect but that connection always happens.