My four-year-old hears a compliment given to someone else and immediately assumes that means the opposite is being said of him."Doesn't she like me, Mommy?"
"You only think she is sweet, not me, Mommy?"
I turn on the news (which I try to do as seldom as possible) and hear that a church has set a date for burning another religion's holy book and is hoping others will join them in this effort.
"Read our book...not theirs."
"Only call ours holy...not theirs."
Everywhere I turn it seems that the message that is being sent is one that says:
"My way is right...your way is wrong."
"If I affirm your way, I must reject my way."
And I just don't get this.
Because when I look around I see both/and.
She can like both of you.
I can think you're both sweet.
Both holy books hold value.
Truth is found in both books...both ways...both journeys.
The bigger picture?
Maybe it's that we have a lot to learn about compassion, about tolerance, about love.
Maybe it's that I'm crazy to even think both/and is a possibility...but I don't want to accept an either/or world.
Maybe it's that what we teach our kids matters so much because this next generation will choose whether to increase the divide or to build a bridge over it. I hope to raise a couple of bridge builders.
For more Bigger Picture moments visit Sarah at This Heavenly Life.
5 comments:
I feel like applauding :) Wonderful, wonderful thoughts, and yes -- let's raise bridge-builders!
I hope I raise bridge builders as well, because the alternative just makes me so sad.
I agree with this post so much! The either/or mentality makes me so sad. Love = Acceptance.
It makes me so sad to hear about people of faith burning books others find holy.
I hope my boys realize the importance of speaking the truth in love.
I loved this. I am so glad I read it today. It captured perfectly what I was feeling about this whole mess and what being a true Christian really means. I hope I am raising a bridge builder!
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