“Well, we all see what we see”

“Well, we all see what we see” is what she said simply and then walked away. And man, that phrase really stuck with me.

It started like this: this morning,  our soft-spoken child-who’s-more-like-her-father decided to behave in a way that more aligns with her mother & (ahem) speak her mind this morning. Though her move of verbal bravery struck a chord with me, I applaud her audacity. And, well, with what she said, she wasn’t wrong.

Let me set the stage by saying this: Somewhere between wake-up, breakfast, and get-ready-for-church time, my 8 yr old decided to join the fashion police and start questioning my life choices via my wardrobe. (This is the child that will wear a baby Grogu shirt and hot pink shorts. Out in public. On purpose. Just because. I just felt you needed to know that before moving on.)

So there we were - just Hannah and me - looking at my church outfit this morning, & the conversation went like this: 

Hannah(hesitantly): “Hey mom, is that what you’re wearing to church today?”

Me: “Yeah, baby. Why?”

Hannah:”…that skirt…with that belt?”

Me: “Yeah, I think it looks good that way.  Do you?”

Hannah: “No.”

Me: “Oh.”

-insert awkward pause of discouragement here-

Hannah: “Well, we all see what we see.” 

And with that, she kindly-yet-matter-of-factly brings the conversation to an abrupt end and nonchalantly walks away. 

But you see, she wasn’t wrong. (Not about the belt and skirt… she was wrong about that 😂)

She spoke the truth when she wisely-beyond-her-years-said, “Well, we all see what we see.” 

Differing perspectives can be a point of contention, but they don’t have to be. We all just see what we see. 

Much bigger than belts and skirts (that may-or-may-not go together), we all have a unique perspective on life. 

I can’t see exactly what you see. And you can’t see exactly what I see. We may not be able to trade out our vantage points in life, but we can exchange our words, compassion, kindness, listening ears, and shoulders to cry on. So, do try to remember that the next time someone sees something differently from you. You may not be able to see things the way they do, but you still have many ways to build relational bridges with them. 

Here’s some ways to do so:

-Smile politely whilst listening. (& Wear the skirt and belt anyway.)

-Don’t take others’ perspectives personally. (& Wear the skirt and belt anyway.)

-Try to reach mutual understanding in areas you can. (& Wear the skirt and belt anyway.)

-Be confident in who you are and who God made you to be. (& Wear the skirt and belt anyway.)

Ok, I think you’re getting the idea by now. I wore the skirt and belt anyway, but not without first learning the valuable life lesson that “well, we all see what we see.”

Thank you, Hannah, not only for your words of wisdom straight to my heart this morning. 

But also, thank you for wearing that baby Grogu shirt and those hot pink shorts. All. The. Time. 

I’ll be sure to take pictures for one day when you become a teenager and have to explain your life choices to a friend or boyfriend. 😂 

But then again, on second thought, you might not ever mind it… because…

“We all see what we see.”😜