Lessons from Sam #3: Welcome everyone.

Our diverse world provides countless ways to look at life. In certain communities and with certain individuals, various beliefs and people are welcomed. In other places and with other people however, there is resistance (overt or subtle) toward those who think outside the majority, those who offer a different perspective.

As a person with a strong sense of justice and as the parent of a child with Down syndrome, I am deeply aware of exclusive places and people. I pick up on social cues, looks, tones (online or in person). I can sense when I am not welcome, when a community does not feel emotionally or spiritually safe.

Sam’s life has opened my eyes wider to discrimination. I notice those who are uninvited, those less likely to be accepted in a culture that often ignores or rejects those who don’t fit a certain standard. I’m grateful for the tireless efforts of so many advocates, from parents to politicians, who have graciously fought for inclusion and equality for those with differing abilities.

In our home, we have endeavored to create an environment of acceptance. When people come over, we want them to feel loved, valued. Sam does a stellar of job of this. If he hears a knock at the door, he runs to greet our guests. He hugs and touches people, even when they politely try to pull away. (We’re working on healthy boundaries).

At this stage, he’ll engage with you no matter your political party affiliation, your social status, or even if you’re unkind to him. He is not concerned with whether your English is broken, whether or where you attend church, or whether your collar is blue or white. He will not exclude you for your smoking habit or public moral failure or strong body odor. Those identifications, which carry heavy social implications in our *Christian* culture, do not determine how Sam responds to anyone. He just welcomes people. All people.

 

Author Shauna Niequist says,

“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved.

It’s about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.”

 

How ironic that our Sam, who was born into a marginalized population, seems to effortlessly create space for people to “feel seen and heard and loved.”

I can’t be sure whether his personality or his extra chromosome makes him extra inclusive but I can be sure that I want to do a better job of receiving others in the same way: arms wide open in a posture of acceptance, finding every person worthy to be welcomed.