Where are you from? Recently in conversation with students (brought about by a burst water pipe – long story), I noticed how many different answers you can give to such a question. You might answer by stating the country or state that you were born in, or the current city you live in, or you might even answer by explaining your culture or heritage.
It is a simple question, designed to break down barriers, yet in our answers we create more barriers. Many won’t admit it, but the answer we hear will often produce a pre-conceived prejudice against the individual. In other words, we stereotype people based on where they are from. A recent example is when I answer that I am from Scotland, most Americans immediately quote a line from Braveheart (usually something about freedom)! There is an assumption that I have watched the film, that I am proud of the film and that I know all the lines (the assumption sadly is true).
My point is this when we ask, ‘where are you from?’ all too often we are simply trying to put people in a pre-determined stereotype, resulting in either our friendship, or our desire to walk away from any potential connection. We are looking for ‘people like us’ with ‘things in common’ and if we don’t find that in the answers we hear, we tend to close down the conversation.
Taking this further, have you noticed how many different brackets we can define people by? Skin color, height, accent, how they dress, personality, what they believe, their family, their background and so on! Society is teaching us that we must fit people into certain categories, and it is this separating into categories that drives people apart rather than together.
As I have been contemplating this over the last few weeks, I have noticed something while studying on a Christian campus, I may be wrong, and I would be more than happily corrected. Here is my observation – people are lonely. There is an overwhelming sense of being alone, or feeling remote and sad, or simply not having the confidence to swallow shyness and step out in confidence.
Whether it be the international student who hasn’t met anyone who understands their culture, or the American who has never been to Kansas City. Whether it be the single student or the married couple. Whether it be the extrovert, or the introvert – people are lonely! How is this so? I believe, in part, it is because society tells us that we can only truly be friends with people like us, and considering we are each unique individuals, we are led to believe that we must live a life defined by ‘where we are from’ (or whatever you use to define yourself).
Yet surely the Kingdom of God is not like this! Romans 8:16-17 says, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
If you are a believer in Christ, irrespective of where you are from, the accent you speak with or the personality you might be – you are fellow heirs to the throne of Christ! Do you know what that means, it means you have many brothers and sisters in Christ who are equally heirs to the throne of Christ. Of course, there are many spiritual applications of these verses, but let me simply make one connection – you are not alone!
Let us strive to think not like this world, segregating people and isolating ourselves. Instead let us be Kingdom minded and treat others like brothers and sisters. To make a very specific application – students on campus at MBTS, you are my fellow brothers and sisters, do not feel alone, let us seek the Kingdom together and let us charge ahead together as we fight the good fight!
Come and chat to me any time my fellow brothers and sisters!