People

What we are doing (Lisa and I) through Ridley Barron Ministries is about people. That may seem like such an obvious statement. Maybe it is to everyone else but me. I was giving that some thought today.

Like most of you, I hate customer service calls. Why? Because no one wants to treat you like a person any more. It is about customer numbers and quotas and bottom lines. Racing through life gets lonely because we forget that the most important thing we share is not space nor oxygen nor natural resources...it is the "humanness" we hold in common.

So one of the things we are trying to do is put up this big flashing sign over everything we do that says, "After all, we are just human." The health care provider that makes a mistake leading to an adverse event? A human who needs healing and compassion. (Read this)

The couple who finds themselves at each other's throat and at the end of their rope? Humans who simply need encouragement in their journey.

The sick child, the overworked CEO, the confused teen and the out of work breadwinner? They...we...are all humans who need to feel the love and compassion of others in our own breed. God help us if we never get to the point where we can see each other as people again. People who have emotions, fears, dreams and families. People who simply want to be treated like people. It is in finding community again that we learn that "they" are no different than "we"--despite their position or their skin color or their status or language. When we understand this--live this--the world becomes a better place...for all people.