“The glass is half full!” “No, the glass is half empty!” Do you ever wonder why people don’t see things the way you do? So many times, at the heart of arguments & misunderstandings, are the inability to see life from a different perspective. In 2009 I was doing Leadership Training when I discovered the powerful concept of what I called, “Our Normal”. Everyone has a different “Normal.’ It’s how they see life. It’s not right or wrong, it’s real to each person.

This is a surface look at what I call “Our Normal.” It is made up of:

GENERATION when we were born the world events & conditions, cultural norms, economic conditions of the time shaped many of the ways we perceive everything.

GENDER – Not only are men & women physically different but we communicate & solve problems differently.

CULTURE – The complexities of race, religion, country of origin, region of the country raised, rural or urban and social-economic all create deep beliefs.

Experiences – These are the “Movies” in our mind that play 24/7 of real or perceived experiences. We use our experiences to compare whether we will like or dislike something or is something true or false.

Emotions – Emotions play a significant role in our ability to listen, communicate, think, build relationships, and solve problems.

Training/Education – Develop new skills, challenge perceptions and birth new ideas and relationships that impact how a person sees life.

Biological – These are unique chemical reactions that cause certain behaviors to be exhibited.

So, you may ask, “why is this important?” Because God commanded us in Leviticus 19:18 & Matthew 19:19, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Think about it. This command is in both the Old Testament & New Testament.

To love others requires time and a spirit of curiosity. Listening to a person who may be quite different from you. Love is an action word, not a phrase on a cup. Love and unity cannot be legislated or litigated. Love is a condition of the heart. Love never divides, it unites. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.” “The eyes of your heart” simply put is seeing people through the eyes of Jesus. Because “Every Soul Matters To God.”

Who has God brought into your life to get to know…to love? What will you do?