My hubby and I just returned from Ohio where we attended the life celebration of Uncle Ray. He was such a precious gentleman. We spent a lot of hours listening and hugging - and I wouldn't change that for anything in this world. We heard a lot of comments and stories from family, friends, coworkers and even some people who weren't Ray's biggest fans.
I always enjoy visiting Ohio; it's such beautiful country to me. I love the rolling hills of farmland displaying luscious vegetation and rustic barns framed with towering silos. The latter had me totally mesmerized this visit and I took as many pics as I could from my backseat perch. Old farms, newer farms, "has been" farms...they all have stories to tell. As do we, my friend.
Driving past such places, trying to capture the best views possible out of my window, I found myself wondering about the stories each farm had to tell - times of plenty and times of scarcity, the good years and bad ones, and the very humble beginnings. I thought about all the stories that could be told as modern ways of doing things came along and changed the simple "old fashioned" ways. I thought about the old farmer hand tossing seeds into furrowed fields in years gone by, which has now given way to modern machines complete with GPS and "no-hands required" sowing and harvesting capabilities. I observed antique tractors sitting in fields, some dilapidated barns which had been abandoned somewhere along the way, and unkept silos which weren't towering quite as proudly as they once did. Oh, the stories we could hear if they could talk.
Back to the funeral,
I listened to story after story about Uncle Ray. The way in which he wasn't shy about lending a hand, about the way he loved his family and worked hard...and stories I've never heard before about the struggle he had growing up. The guy had a rough start and had turned out strong and loving in spite of it all because he fell into a family who was absolutely full of love and weren't afraid to take someone in and show it. Uncle Ray's life was changed because someone took the time to see and know him. There were people who shared touching stories, and other's had things to say which weren't quite as kind because they didn't "know" the Ray we did. They needed to hear the story!
The stories of our lives.
We are who we are today because of the experiences and lessons we've learned throughout our lives. We, like those barns and silos, have stories we could share...of good times, hard times, unknown times, etc. When we look at others, we can be assured there is more to their story than what we can see. Some people paint up the outside quite well, while the inside is hurting and in need of compassion. Yes, there are a lot of stories out there that we're not aware of, and maybe will never be privileged to know; however, I think we'd look at people a lot differently if we knew and understood. Don't you?
Maybe that difficult person doesn't mean to come across that way, perhaps the bubbly person is hiding deep scars they've worked hard to overcome. I think we (myself included) often look at a person at face-value and make unfair assessments and judgements based upon what we perceive instead of getting to really know them and reading the pages of his/her life. I'm so glad God knows us inside and out, our history, present and future - and is still committed to making a masterpiece out of us. It was comical, but so stirring when we were sitting around and there were comments about what our homegoing would be like when we passed on from this life. The comment, "there would probably only be ten people come to my viewing" struck the chords of my heart and I longed to make a difference, to "see and know" that person and others a little more thoroughly. There are a lot of people we rub shoulders with day by day that may look like a well-run farm complete with beautiful barns and filled silos...but the story is quite the opposite if we could only hear the untold stories.
This I know...every person on this planet wants to be known, understood and loved for who they are. We want people to do more than drive past our "field" (life) and evaluate us based upon what our barns and silos may look like now. We might look like the newest and best or perhaps we're displaying more rusted out parts and rotted boards than we'd like and find ourselves sitting along the fence line or in the field, not being seen or valued. The truth is, no matter who we are, where we've come from, or where we currently stand in this life, we need to be known, seen and valued simply because of who we are. The truth is, every person matters, because God loves and created us all. There's a reason Jesus commanded us in His Word to "love our neighbor" as ourselves.
Maybe this parallel is unordinary, but it pierced my heart as I heard about a hurting little boy who found his value and place in a family who cared big enough and opened their arms to someone who was struggling and different. How differently Uncle Ray's life could have been if he had not been seen and understood during his childhood. I watched hundreds of people file past a casket and share their stories...it was a beautiful moment which I'll never forget.
So, today, I'm just encouraging myself and whomever might read this blog, to take a moment and truly look at someone beyond their surface. Where did they come from and why do they respond in the way they do? Get to know them, not just the facade they may erect. Listen. Learn. Respond with the love of Christ. We might be the difference-maker someone's life needs. We very well could be the hands and feet of Jesus which could save someone's life from going in the wrong direction or we could simply be the missing link to making someone feel valuable. Let's look at people from a different perspective!
Barns and silos will forever remind me of this moment in time, when I learned the difference a simple story told can make. It's crazy, but it made me realize just how much there is that we possibly don't know about even those we call family and close friends, especially strangers. Life is busy, let's all slow down and make people feel seen and known. Let's listen to their stories completely. Then, open our arms to love them completely...like Jesus did.
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