I don't want this to come across the wrong way or that I'm trying to be controversial, but this is kind of a really personal issue for me because it involves one of my closest and dearest friends who I love to bits. So I'm going to close comments for this post because it's a very personal entry for me and I'm not trying to get any back lash. It's just something I feel strongly about because I have been taught that we are all equal and I strongly feel that with everyone. God loves us all the same, no matter what. That is what the Atonement is for.
I really don't understand lateness. Period. I realize that there are situations like if your baby spit up on you or had an explosive diaper right as you walked out the door, but in most cases, I don't understand why people can't be on time. Obviously if you planned ahead and you got caught up in traffic, that's totally out of your control. I have lots of friends who are late to things and even though I love my friends, I don't understand the lateness thing. Maybe it's because I was taught to be on time and that it was the right thing to do. That you plan ahead and if you're going to be late, you call. You don't just show up late.
Okay, so why am I writing about this?
Well, I mentioned to someone last week that I noticed one of my friends had come to church about 45-50 minutes late. She has 3 children and is married. So when I made this comment, he said to me "well, you have to remember that her husband is Native." WHAT! What does that have to do with anything? Was he saying that just because a person has a certain background, it's an excuse for things like being late? It totally blew me away that he had said this because I never thought he would ever say something like that. I understand that some people are just incurably late. Okay, fine, be late. It's something that I don't understand and probably never will, but to blame it on a person's cultural background is totally and utterly inappropriate. I would NEVER think that. Even if it were true for everyone of a certain culture, I would never look at it like that. We are all children of our Heavenly Father and we all have agency and make choices. If you want to be late, then be late but don't be so rude and blame it on a person's race, or cultural background. That's just ignorant. I have been thinking about this a lot this week and just wondered if my thoughts are fair. Of course we love the sinner but not the sin. Just like I love the person who is late but I don't love the lateness.
In a sense this kind of situation makes me think of the story of the bridegroom and the 10 virgins. When the Lord comes, will I be ready to go or will I be running around trying to get things together last minute and then in return be late and miss out? I hope that gets the point across.
Even though I don't understand lateness, it really bothered me that this person said this like it was an excuse or a good enough reason to be late. Just because a person is abused doesn't mean that gives them the right to abuse their offspring. It makes me sad to realize that there are people in this world that still have such strong feelings against certain types, races, or culturally different people than us. Aren't we all supposed to treat each other with love and respect and kindness and equality. Isn't that what the Savior would want?
We all have our little quirks. I'm sure some people don't like that I let Tanner do certain things that their kids aren't allowed to do (like jump on his bed, for example), but I know my friends don't judge me or think less of me because of my quirks or shortcomings. Isn't that what makes us all so unique?
Even though I don't understand blatant lateness, I am still forgiving of those who are late. I hope this comes across the right way. It isn't meant to be rude or ignorant. It's just something that really has frustrated me this week because it makes me sad to know that there are people like that out there that blame a certain quality or trait or characteristic on culture or race or stereotype. Maybe I misunderstood this person but I was so shocked that he would say something like that, that I couldn't even think of anything to reply to that.
3 years ago
