Making an Impact

They stood at the curb, tears rolling down their faces, emotions, without shame, on display for all to see. The tears came as they were preparing to say good bye. The tears were an indicator that a staff of 15 had, indeed, made an impact on the lives of these young people. A staff made up of select college, high school seniors, credentialed teachers, and additional teachers from other countries; all bundled together for two very busy weeks of STEAM CAMP.

I share this, because these students, each and every one of them, come from a world very different from ours. A world that has a different government, customs, language, and beliefs and yet, at their very core, share the same emotions, feelings, and desire for personal connection as each one of you reading this.

Social media and the media in general would have you believe we are “different”, and in this context, “different” carries a negative connotation. It suggests we are “better” than others, “superior” in our thoughts; way of life, love of family and country, and this thought has begun to create fractures in how we see each other. Our thoughts expressed through social media have done little to build up, to affirm; instead we lob hate bombs at each other thinking that if we shout louder, quote more pithy memes, that we prove our point, all the while becoming the very thing we espouse hatred for.

The tears of these young people were pure, heartfelt, and a balm for my soul. Thank you to each one of them for having the courage to be vulnerable, to remind me that we all are part of the human race. Red, yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight!