Unlikely Friends

Unlikely Friends

God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them.

Genesis 1:27

I recently read about a movement called the Human Library. This movement allows people to “check out” other people and to sit and talk with them for a few hours. The purpose is to gain knowledge of someone who is different from us and to achieve a better understanding of one another in order to see our commonalities as human beings, not just our differences.

It reminded me that I’ve met good friends in some of the most unlikely places, like at my first job after grad school. It was there that I met Trina, who on the surface was my exact opposite: Southern, raised by her grandma, and of a different race—no one would have thought that we would get along as well as we did. We may have been a little surprised ourselves, but as we got to know each other we realized we had more in common than not: both of us were raised in strict, loving homes where a strong faith and work ethic was instilled in us. We began running our therapy groups together and found that we were the perfect fit as cofacilitators, able to play off of one another and engage our clients in ways we’d never have done on our own. She became a great friend and one of my strongest supporters at work.

Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. In a world that increasingly wants to label and separate us from other people, we can be the ones to find the commonalities and build bridges to those who, at least on the surface, look different from us. Remembering that God created all human beings in his own image can help us extend kindness to everyone that we come in contact with, because everyone is equally valuable in the eyes of God.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Think of someone who is different from you. Identify a few commonalities, and then reach out with a word of encouragement for that person.