I left my house this morning, having forgotten to put on my glasses. Why? Prejudice, that's why. Natasha and I were talking yesterday when I found out she was made the topic of prejudice again. She gets that a lot. So do I, for that matter. (We're equally yoked that way.) People tend to think of Natasha one way and one way only, refusing to get to know her or what makes her tick. For example, Natasha and some friends from the BBC women's ministry recently invited some engaged girls to sit in on their next bi-weekly meeting. One engaged girl said, "I hope she realizes I'm not into all that girly-girl stuff." She obviously doesn't know Natasha or what makes her tick. She obviously doesn't know that the women's ministry doesn't meet every other Tuesday for discussion and spiritual enrichment. She obviously doesn't realize that the majority of the women in the group aren't girly. She obviously doesn't realize that Natasha isn't girly. Natasha's just pegged that way a lot. Sure, she likes dressing well. Sure, she likes her house to look good. She enjoys the company of other girls. The prejudiced engaged girl likes all those things, too. What is good to her is somewhat different than what's good to Natasha, though, so of course Natasha is labeled "girly." Natasha is beautiful, a good singer, a source of wisdom, a strong support, an encourager of peace, and a lover of everyone she meets. So, she is prejudged as a "good" or "girly" girl. Nevertheless, she has to work hard on her homework, to make it a point to keep us both on track with housework, and to force herself to ignore her pain disorder to get out of bed. She has a fun sense of humor, a sassy attitude, a deep sense of worship, a level headed approach to what she knows about life, and the kind of personality that people would flock to if they weren't so busy putting her in a box.
Oops...looks like Lynn went off on his wife again. You can think that, but that's just putting me in a prejudice box here too. I didn't just go off on my wife. I went off on our prejudgments and how they limit us. Instead of commenting on this post, please do yourselves a favor. Think about the last time someone didn't get to know you before they talked about you. Then go out and get to know someone before you prejudge again.
