*got permission to cross-post some things from the girls' blogs...Bre's next week. This from Krista:
On a bit more of a serious note, I have some thoughts from a scavenger hunt we did the Friday after Thanksgiving. On this scavenger hunt a group of adults from the church goes to the mall and hides, while the youth tries to find them. The youth that finds the most people get a reward.
The hiders are encouraged to dress up. Bre wore her host brother's clothes and went as a boy, Molly dressed like a girl punk rocker. I dressed up like an interesting Emo/Goth. I ended up getting separated from the group and walking around the mall by myself for two hours.
I learned a lot by doing this. People would shy away from me like I had leprosy. This was weird because people usually crowd me and make me move for them! The little kids were all scared of me and were hiding behind their mothers! Everyone else acted like they didn’t SEE me! Now, they had to see me to avoid me. Didn’t they? After an hour of this, I really just wanted someone to smile at me or even acknowledge my presence. One person did, a person at a KIOSK!
I got to thinking about it. The place was crammed with people from the church, but none of them saw me. I walked by all the youth kids, and because they wouldn’t look at me, they didn’t recognize me. How often do we walk around judging people by how they are dressed? All the mothers that hid their children from me, would have let me baby-sit if I was dressed differently!
How may of the people that look mean and scary, that walk around the malls or around town, are inside longing for someone to just smile at them? I was. You have kids with bad lives that start dressing scary or even just DIRTY, because they cant afford nicer, and people treat them like outcasts. Except the REALLY gothic people, the witches, they will accept them. So that is where they go. The whole time they might be crying out, as they are dragged down that road, but we, as Christians don’t see or hear them because they are ”scary” and not “acceptable”.
Next time you see an Emo/Goth dresser, try the smiling instead of the judging look that asks why someone would dress like that.
10 comments:
Great post, Bre!
No the Emo/Goth is KRISTA - I better check what I wrote. LOL
Krista, I hear you...I know of two people right off the top of my head that fit that "goth" mold. Your words have encouraged me to try next time to reach out to them for Christ.
Moving, timely! I'll be writing you, Sis, to explain...Thank you very much for posting this!
Krista, I don't understand what an emo/goth is, but I can imagine. What a lesson in humanity and the importance of letting our light shine even as simply as w/smile and a nod to let others know we're here and we care that they are too!!
Good lesson. Thanks for sharing!
Very thought provoking, indeed. Thanks for the food for thought.
Beth in GA
I can tell much thought went into this . . .she speaks truth!
Interesting. Nice way to turn an adventure into a lesson on humanity and reaching out to people.
Krista-K:
How wonderful that you have made this connection into the way people often are.
At school it sometimes takes weeks of greeting and speaking to various kids before they smile or nod back. I love the challenge of seeing how long it takes for this one or that one to respond.
So proud of you and all you are doing and learning at Masters.
Hope to see you during conference.
love/prayers
Very good points! I always say hello. But I'll be honest and tell you I do not speak to the gothic guys who dress in capes. My husband can do that. As a lady I need to be careful but I will talk to the girls.
I have never had one treat me badly for being nice to them. They're always pleasantly surprised by my friendliness.
Post a Comment