When I think about the Lord and all the things that He has done I cannot wrap my small brain around his greatness. He has created wonderful things for us to enjoy simply because He loves us. I have spent a lot of time investigating one particular creation. This creation is so beautiful and diverse that after pondering it’s vastness I am overwhelmed by the fact that there is no comprehendible limit to the Lord’s creativity. The creation that provokes such thought is none other than Homo sapiens; the human being.
I have spent a number of years studying humans. I say that as if I have special certification or a research grant but that is not the case. As humans we naturally perceive and evaluate the behavior of our species. After many years of observing myself and fellow humans I have noticed a thing or two. One attribute that I find very interesting is the human tendency to gravitate toward things that are familiar. As believers, being aware of this “comfort instinct” can help us reach out to other people and share the love of the Lord with His beautifully diverse creation.
I stumbled upon a video that I think is wonderful. It takes a varied group of people and gives them a challenge in a fun, unique atmosphere. The challenge is that two random people get in a large ball pit and ask each other scripted questions. The idea is that even though the two people are likely different they will have something in common. When we find a common ground and relate to another person that is where friendship is born.
I wonder what would happen if churches constructed a non-intimidating, one on one environment, like a ball pit to help launch new relationships between all types of people. This would require a fight against the human tendencies to gravitate toward the familiar but going off the outcome of this video, I say it would be worth it!! Now the only other challenge would be figuring out a way to have them talk about anything other than the most popular topics; weather and church management software. 🙂
Photo Credit: Bekathwia via Compfight cc