Life In The Bubble

---

Posted by Erin Roberson, May 15, 2024

My family used to live in a city that was commonly referred to as “The Bubble.” The title evokes a positive connotation; there is even a social media page for city residents called “Life in the Bubble.”  There were many positive aspects of raising children in this city: attractive surroundings, great schools, low crime rate, many recreational activities, etc. Living in the Bubble was not a bad thing at all!

If you think about it, we all tend to live our lives in a bubble, associating with a small circle of friends and family members who look like us, live like us, and think like us. While staying in our bubble is the most comfortable place for us to be, it’s important for us to develop relationships with people outside of our comfort zones.

The phrase “birds of a feather flock together“ is so true. If I go to a social event by myself, I seek out someone I know or at least someone who has something in common with me: we work at the same place, grew up in the same area, or work in the same profession. Don’t judge! I’ll bet you do it, too! It’s the most comfortable thing to do!

The problem with staying in our comfortable bubbles is that we deprive ourselves of the richness that can be found when we reach out and get to know people who are different from ourselves. I’m not talking about the one-shot mission trip to a third-world country (although there is certainly nothing wrong with that). The connection I’m talking about is when we develop friendships with people who are different from us.

Jesus didn’t stay in a comfortable bubble.

In fact, He was often questioned and criticized for the company He kept. I think about his encounters with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4: 4-26), the woman who wiped His feet with her hair (John 12: 1-8), and Zaccheaus (Luke 19), just to name a few.

Contrary to the religious leaders of the day, Jesus didn’t seem to view these people as “inferior” to Him. He wanted to have a relationship with them.

Wouldn’t He want us to do the same?

If you are comfortable doing this, good for you! For most of us, it can be a little scary. These relationships don’t just happen on their own; we have to be intentional. The truth is, we tend to make assumptions about people, either positive or negative, until we really get to know them.

So how do we expand our friendship circles? There are many ways, but here are just a few suggestions:

• When in a social setting, look for the person who is standing alone and strike up a conversation rather than immediately going to those you already know.

• Be willing to develop relationships with people, even when it is difficult to communicate because their primary language is different from yours.

• Be accepting of people who look different than you, have different interests than you, speak in a different dialect, or come from different backgrounds.

• Refuse to make assumptions about people!

In Revelation 7:9, we read about the people who will be present to celebrate Jesus’ return, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

Does my friend group reflect the people with whom I will spend all of eternity?

It sure seems to me that Jesus wants us to be intentional about popping our bubbles!

Erin Roberson is a wife and mother of two wonderful grown boys. She is a lifelong educator who loves learning and teaching others. She believes our primary focus should be on our relationship with God, learning who God is, who God says we are, and how God wants us to live.