Faults, Follies, and Meeting People

Recently I've been thinking a lot, about a lot of things. This is to some extent my default modus operandi.

One of the things frequently on my mind has been the dynamics of meeting people. By meeting people I mean a few things, of course I mean the first time we encounter a new person, but I also mean the process by which we go about interacting with those around us. By the very nature of things when we interact with people around us we have to find a place to 'meet,' some ground to stand on throughout our interaction with them. Now the question becomes where is this meeting place?

Do we force ourselves and those around us into some fictitious characters and pretend to be something we're not in order to create a comfortable space to interact?

Do we stand uncompromisingly where we are like stone pillars, and force those around us to accommodate the way we are and leave all the responsibility of interaction on others?

Do we make ourselves so accommodating of other people's views/lifestyles/positionsthat we become so malleable that we are almost fluid, and without any real substance?

I submit that it is possible to do none of these things, and instead meet people where they are at, while also meeting them where we are. This may seem contradictory, but all I mean by that is that we simply be honest with people about where we are, but not make that some obstacle between ourselves when we are in different places than those around us.

Some people would call this 'tolerance,' but I've come to hate that word and the way it is used in modern language. I think a more accurate term is that this is simply 'life.' We live in a world where it will be impossible to surround ourselves with people who are 'in the same place' we are. Whether we encounter people of different sexual orientations, religions, cultures, etc. on a regular basis or not, we will encounter people of different genders, family backgrounds, and mindsets no matter how hard we try to isolate ourselves.

There are people that try to isolate themselves within a comfort-zone. They close themselves within a bubble of people who all share some specific thing in common. I am guilty of this at times myself. There are Christian-bubbles, GLBTA-bubbles, 'we-have-the-same-major'-bubbles, and any number of other bubbles that are present in most cities.

As one might expect I've had the most interaction with people in Christian-bubbles, as far as bubble-people are concerned. The thing that frustrates me about the whole idea of any bubble is that by isolating ourselves like that we're living life in a sub-set of the world and not really living in the real world. But I find the Christian-bubble particularly infuriating because Scripture specifically tells us to be in the world but not of the world.

Another thing that irks me about bubble-life is that any sort of bubble makes those on the outside of it feel as though they would need to change themselves before they could be a part of that community. Some communities have isolated themselves to the point of being exclusive, and they almost have a checklist of 'you can't join us until you've done...'

I think that's the way many people feel about Christianity. That they would have to check off a bunch of things on a list before they could be a part of it. This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest failures of the modern Church. All too often the Church doesn't meet people where they are, and thus makes them feel that they are not wanted, and wouldn't be accepted by God. However, the reality is that God accepts everyone as they are, and that it is Christians who do not.

I just want to do the best I can to meet people where they are. It is only after meeting someone where they are that we can concern ourselves with where we are going, and the changes that may need to be made to get there.