Perhaps we are more of a homebody than we care to admit, particularly when it comes to our own perspectives. We’re comfortable within our own experiences and rarely get out to consider the world of others.
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
There is nothing wrong with staying at home. Everything has its place and we can move around with ease.
But if we become a hermit and never leave, we miss all the beauty and goodness around us.
Taking a tour is a great way to explore a new world.
On a tour, we acknowledge we are visitors and this is not our home. But we also remain curious as we honor this other world.
Many of our relationships would benefit from us learning to tour the inner life of each other.
This Is Not Your World
In taking a tour, we are entering someone else’s life and experiences. They see things differently, and this is okay.
As a visitor, we are not there to judge their thoughts and feelings or how they organize their inner world. We are simply to acknowledge this inner experience as meaningful to them.
And no one is asking you to bring anything home. At the end of the tour, you are welcome to leave it all behind.
Be Curious
As you explore, be curious and ask questions. Someone has invited you into his or her world. Take the time to learn what is important and why it matters.
You are not just learning the facts about someone. You are discovering their heart.
Give Honor
The world of the other has value in its own right.
Honor it.
This does not require you to adopt it as your own or endorse it for others. It simply blesses the other. Your experience and perspectives are worthy because you are worthy!
We miss the rich joys of life and relationships when we remain a homebody in our own perspectives.
Take the tour of someone else’s inner world.
You will get to know them better. And you might also discover a souvenir to bring home and enrich your own life.
