When my cousin’s daughter Zoey was about five years old, she took a trip to Yellowstone National Park. When she got back, she couldn’t wait to tell everyone about what she saw—especially the buffalo.
She talked about the adorable, teeny-tiny buffalo.
Of course, the buffalo weren’t tiny at all. They’re massive. But because you have to view them from a safe distance, they looked small to her… so that’s what she believed.
Honestly, I get that.
Because sometimes, the distance between us and other people does the same thing. It shrinks them. Not physically—but in how we understand them.
I can think of more than a few times I’ve made assumptions about someone without ever really getting close enough to see the full picture. And if I’m honest, I wonder how often people have done the same to me.
It’s human nature. We fill in the gaps when we don’t have the full story.
That might be why the Bible speaks so often about judgment—not to shame us, but to gently remind us there’s usually more going on than we can see from a distance.
So maybe today isn’t about getting it perfect.
Maybe it’s just about taking one small step closer.
Choosing curiosity over assumption.
Choosing presence over distance.
Choosing to see people as more than what we first thought.
Because most of the time… they are.
