The Barn at the Homestead

The Barn at the Homestead

Monday, August 3, 2015

Categories

     I like the way that libraries work; books are grouped by categories.  Fiction is listed by author, non fiction by subject matter.  It helps to keep things organized.
     The table of contents and the indices in cook books are invaluable tools; they allow the cook to quickly find recipes that are listed in categories.  Makes dinner preparation easy.

     Collections are categorized, too. For instance, I collect goat figurines and "hands".  I like to keep similar items together.  When one shops on E-bay, it is easy to find things in their particular category.  
     Categories help to keep things organized.
     When it comes to people, however, I find categories aren't always helpful.  We tend to want to place people in categories according to our assumptions.  It seems easy to "judge" others if we put them in categories: blacks, gays, hispanic, short people, and so on.  In categories, it seems easy for hate to enter in.
     But meeting people as individuals is something all together different.  If there is one thing that sticks out for me about Jesus, it is relationships!  God, who looks upon the heart, in Jesus seeks out the individual.  It's a good model for us.  To seek out the individual. 
     I am grateful for the many people in my life from many different walks of life.  When I see with my "Jesus eyes" I no longer view them in categories--a place where hate seeps in --but see them as the wonderfully and uniquely made person they are becoming.  I am becoming "me", too.