Dear People

Welcome back to my final blog post in a three-part series on people and their personalities. I apologize for getting this out later than originally anticipated. I have my reasons. If you are just joining me, feel free to check out Dear Introvert, and Dear Extrovert.
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People are so incredibly complicated. This really shouldn't surprise us, it wouldn't be fitting for God's highest creation made in His image to be simple. God is vastly complex; therefore, we are complex.

A human being is rather like a river. A river flows with a current, moving towards a specific destination. There are many tributaries that feed into this river, giving it unique attributes. Sometimes the river is large and roaring, sometimes it is weak and sluggish. And sometimes, the river is steady and tranquil. Some rivers are clear, others are murky and hard to define.

Rivers are always changing, occasionally the changes are so dramatic that the river entirely changes direction. You may come upon a river at one point in its journey, only to not recognize it further on down the line due to how different it appears.

People are like that too. We are unique, and there are some things about us that never change. Those solid, fundamental pieces of who we are (we are still a river). But there are many more things about us that are constantly changing.

Some of these changes are natural, such as growing, maturing, and gaining perspective. Other changes are conscious choices that we make which entirely change our direction.

Every single person you come in contact with is on a journey. Their journey is both similar to yours, and also unique to them. They have their own "tributaries" that make up who they are. They have had periods of low water, and high water. They have roared and rushed, and they have been calm and steady. They have had times when their water was barely more than a trickle and they almost dried up.

You never know what part of the river you are entering. Every experience will be a new one. Approach people as individuals. Learn to see your similarities, and learn to appreciate your differences.

Our relationships with other human beings are a reflection of God Himself; God is relational. Our unique selves are a glory to His name; God is unique and diverse. Learning to walk in freedom from unnecessary stereotypes, labels, and mindsets embraces the gift of freedom which is of the Lord; He is freedom.

Dear People, let us be people. Let us be broken, and let us be real. Let us not be too defined by flawed standards, but instead defined by our Creator.

Dear People, I can't wait to get to know you.