Monday, August 24, 2020
Sawubona
Sawubona is a South African greeting from the Zulu people that means, “I see you”. We don’t often think about it, but we can look at people without seeing them. To see someone, really see someone, is more than looking. Seeing someone means looking to understand someone, seeing things like their hopes and their dreams, their sorrows and their pain.
The author of this book writes, “If we are able to see ourselves in other people, our experience of the world will inevitably be a richer, kinder, more connected one. If we look at others and see ourselves reflected back, we inevitably treat people better.”
This is something we read in the Bible, too. Hagar gave God the name, El Roi, which means, “the God who sees me”. In 1 Samuel 7, God told Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” In the Psalms, David says over and over again how God sees us.
We can show people who God is, and what God is like, by seeing them. It’s easy to look at outward appearance–someone’s race or gender, job or education, political party or family–and think that we are seeing them; but God challenges us to look deeper, to see people. Pray for the eyes to see people this week.
This week’s devotional reflections are based on the book, Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Harper, New York. 2020.
Sawubona
Sawubona is a South African greeting from the Zulu people that means, “I see you”. We don’t often think about it, but we can look at people without seeing them. To see someone, really see someone, is more than looking. Seeing someone means looking to understand someone, seeing things like their hopes and their dreams, their sorrows and their pain.
The author of this book writes, “If we are able to see ourselves in other people, our experience of the world will inevitably be a richer, kinder, more connected one. If we look at others and see ourselves reflected back, we inevitably treat people better.”
This is something we read in the Bible, too. Hagar gave God the name, El Roi, which means, “the God who sees me”. In 1 Samuel 7, God told Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” In the Psalms, David says over and over again how God sees us.
We can show people who God is, and what God is like, by seeing them. It’s easy to look at outward appearance–someone’s race or gender, job or education, political party or family–and think that we are seeing them; but God challenges us to look deeper, to see people. Pray for the eyes to see people this week.
This week’s devotional reflections are based on the book, Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together the African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Harper, New York. 2020.
