Sharing Stories and Ginger Cookies

I was recently in North Carolina, touring with my friend Chancie, and we stopped in Old Salem, just outside downtown Winston-Salem. This is the original settlement of the Moravians in the late 1700s. It’s a lovely spot with a little town of history just blocks from a modern downtown. They have the buildings to tour and people working in the traditional roles. We initially went into the bakery for a sample and a little history, and we ended with a long conversation with the older baker who wanted to share stories with us and remind us to enjoy life. He baked bread all day, but really his passion was for people, and that was so obvious when he told us stories of people he met from around the world. He would give them samples of bread while learning their story. And he remembered their stories.



He gave us each a ginger cookie while reminding us that we are a part of history. These things going on, like the protests where the people are forcing their government officials to hear them, is history in the making.



Chancie and I munched on the delicious cookie, digesting those heavy words. I don’t normally think of myself as part of history, but each of us is. Even from afar, we can take part in discussions and hear others views on matters that could change the shape of our country and our world. We can actively involve others through educating them about these issues and how they affect lives.

I think most of us like to hide under a shell, not wanting to see or hear about the distress of the world, unless it’s in our own town. We want to go on with life because we have our own issues, but as Christians we should have a global perspective, even while acting locally. Not all of us are called to work overseas or with global issues, but we are all a part of this world and our prayers are heard by the God of everything whether we are 4 blocks from the strife or 4,000 miles away.

We can treat others with kindness. Diversity is a blessing, not a curse. Our world wouldn’t be so interesting and different if it weren’t for all the different cultures and their traditions. Why did I love traveling through England and Scotland? Because their culture is so different from what I am used to, and while I learned their words, ate their cuisine, and met the people, my appreciation for diversity grew.

When a stone is dropped into a lake, it quickly disappears from sight- but its impact leaves behind a series of ripples that broaden and reach across the water. In the same way, the impact of one life lived for Christ will leave behind an influence for good that will reach the lives of many others. -Ray Lessin