Some people, for whatever reason, aren’t my cup of tea. When I follow my natural inclination, I automatically put them into my “no” category—no, I won’t welcome you or be open to what you think or wonder what beauty lies below the surface of you. I will be polite on the outside, of course, but on the inside all my doors and windows will be locked.
I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to be open and curious instead of categorizing and labeling. I want to replace “that drives me crazy” with “hmm, now isn’t that interesting?”. I want to welcome.
“He who welcomes the person I send welcomes Me.” John 13:20
“We must let go of the pretense that we know [people] and can label them. It is presumptuous. Instead, we are open. We respect the sacredness of their being. . . .” Br. David Vryhof