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Associating With People

                 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:16)

          Living in harmony requires that most of the people in the group not sing the same note. Living in unison sounds like a good idea, but there is very little room for any variation or harmony. It’s easy because there are no choices. At the same time, most people who want “unison” want to be the ones who pick the notes everyone must sing. In other words, they’re proud.

          Associating with people of low position doesn’t mean only low on the social hierarchy. It could mean low financially, of limited physical capability, uneducated, intellectually impaired, mentally or emotionally unstable, unable to speak the language in a way that makes them easily understood, fearful, immature, suffering from dementia/Alzheimer's or a chronic illness… Feel free to add the category you’re in, or the one that bothers you.

          I’ll readily admit that there are many groups of people with whom I don’t want to associate, mostly because I assume they wouldn’t want to associate with me. Another reason I’m reluctant to associate with people because it’s hard work to slow down, be patient, listen, seek consensus, not seek to be right, be more personable, etc. People are hard. For that matter, dogs are hard. People are well-nigh impossible.

          But difficult people, no matter how they are difficult, were put in our lives to strengthen us. Sometimes, I think I was put in your life to make champions out of you all. And perhaps that’s part of what we need to keep in mind. For all we think everyone else is a challenge, we may be more so than they.

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