Feeling Different

Today two of our girls have gone to spend the day at our local small Christian school.  I am hopeful that it might be a good fit for them as they head into high school.  They seemed to know a number of kids as I dropped them off this morning and it had a feeling of happy acceptance.

Earlier one of the girls expressed that she feels different than many of the kids that are in her world.  She tends to gravitate naturally to those who have complex and challenging histories like her own.  Another daughter has an extremely eclectic group of friends.  She also once explained to me that they look on the outside how she feels inside.  It is comforting for her to be with others who fit with her complicated inside heart.

I think we all tend to be attracted to those who we perceive to be similar to ourselves.   Often, though, it has been my experience that sometimes my initial heart leanings toward others are not always accurate.  My life has been deeply enriched by meaningful and deep relationships with people who are very different than me.

I hope that my daughter who felt that she might be different from the kids at the Christian school will give the kids a chance.  I think that often people do not go to church for similar reasons.  From the outside we seem different than all those people in church.  We perceive others to be different.  Oftentimes they are, but it is also worth digging a bit deeper.  Those differences do not mean an easy or worry free life.  They may be differences that can bring added richness to our lives and they also many not really be as different as we originally thought.

We all are very unique and different from one another.  Inside, though, are lots of similarities.  Loneliness and longing to be appreciated and loved are common human refrains.  Accept those feelings of difference while embracing the adventure of new relationships formed in the unexpected places of life.