POST 6: How Who You Are Is Shaped by Where You Live
POST 6
How Who You Are Is Shaped by Where You Live
Where do you live?
When you think about that question, your mind probably goes to geography: your country, state, community, neighborhood; your house or apartment. You might think less about a different kind of geography: your social location.
Social location means the way you’re shaped by not only your physical surroundings but also your gender, race, ethnicity, social class, age, ability, religion, and sexual orientation. The way you operate in life is deeply impacted by your social location. While you can educate yourself and become aware of this impact, you can never fully distance yourself from it.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s simply something to be aware of.
Building Bridges
In the varied ethnic world we live in today, you may have the opportunity to cross boundaries and build cultural bridges. Maybe you can relate to Claudia, a seventeen-year-old Latina who loves traditional Mexican dishes but also enjoys Korean drinks and treats. She intentionally introduces her Latino friends to Korean cuisine and invites her Korean friends to enjoy Mexican food in her home and neighborhood.
While this cultural exchange can at times create tension for Claudia, she also enjoys watching both sets of friends try new foods. Claudia summarized: “Although I get to try some of their culture, I also get to share some of mine, and they actually love it. It’s so fun.”
Sometimes when we encounter someone from a different social location, we can feel uncomfortable or even threatened. Instead of allowing those fears to overtake us, we can remind ourselves of what we can learn and how fun—and meaningful—it can be to experience a different culture.
You may find that you are changed when you go out of your way to listen to, love, and learn from people who are from different social locations. You can also help others learn and grow when you share your perspective. You have a unique, valid, and significant point of view.
Never forget that God created you in your distinct social location for a reason. God wants you to share—and God also wants you to listen.
In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul encounters the people of Athens. His social location and that of the Athenians were vastly different. He could have condemned their idol worship and way of life; instead, he observed their culture and traditions and tapped into these to share the gospel with them. He was even able to use their own poetry to illustrate the beauty of God’s divine nature.
The more awareness we have of our social location, the more opportunities we will have to build bridges. It won’t always be easy; in fact, it’s often really hard! Sometimes people don’t want to work on your part of the bridge. That’s okay. We can respect where people are in their journeys while keeping the door open.
READING GOD’S WORD
Paul stood up in the middle of the council on Mars Hill and said, “People of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way. As I was walking through town and carefully observing your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: ‘To an unknown God.’ What you worship as unknown, I now proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in temples made with human hands. Nor is God served by human hands, as though he needed something, since he is the one who gives life, breath, and everything else. From one person God created every human nation to live on the whole earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God made the nations so they would seek him, perhaps even reach out to him and find him. In fact, God isn’t far away from any of us. In God we live, move, and exist. As some of your own poets said, ‘We are his offspring.’” (Acts 17:22–28)
REFLECT AND RESPOND
Journaling Questions
Take an audit of your social location. What is your gender, race, ethnicity, social class, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and geography?
How does your social location impact your view of the world? How does it impact the way others see you?
How and when can you engage someone of a different social location?
God, you have made me in a unique way with a unique perspective. Help me to understand how it all impacts my point of view, and help me to be open to learning from those who have a different social location. In Jesus’ name, amen.
SOMETHING TO TRY
Take a cue from Claudia and build a bridge from one culture to another. For example, invite two friends from different backgrounds and try foods from each person’s culture. Learn about the origin of each dish so you can appreciate both the differences and the similarities.
THE TAKEAWAY
Your social location is unique and valuable—and so are the social locations of others.