We sing a song in French that says “Hold somebody, tell them that you love them. Put your hands together and praise the Lord.” As you sing the song you are holding hands with the one next to you and looking them in the eyes and singing this song of love and unity. It is precious to me because that is what I have taken to heart during my time in Africa....If I had to sum up my entire trip in one sentence it would be - “At our core, we are all the same - we all want to be love; to be valued; to be known.”
No matter what country you live in, what your values or religious belief is, no matter what your culture or background is....Our purpose in whatever we are doing should be to ensure that those around us genuinely feel loved.
How are you showing others that you value them? Are you speaking words of encouragement to uplift them, or are you gossiping behind their back? Are you taking time to talk with them or plan an activity together, or are you “too busy” for that? What messages do your actions speak?
In African culture people show that they care through touch. Personally, in my own culture and upbringing we have an invisible bubble of “personal space” that surrounds us and keeps us safe and closed off from anything that might hurt us. I was never really comfortable with lots of hugging and close contact....But the beautiful people of Africa have totally broken down that wall for me and I no longer rely on my safe “personal space” bubble....Yesterday this sweet girl wanted to just have my arms wrapped around her, and she just wanted to cuddle with me and know that she was loved. It is in those moments that I realise the importance of human contact and helping others see through your actions that you care for them. It is a valuable lesson.
"Love knows no limit and moves beyond any barrier of language, culture or differences that we may have." ~ Namaste
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