We all want to stand out, to shine. And we try to. But is it ‘okay’ to use other people in an attempt to push ourselves forward? Most of us would say no, and yet we are bombarded with examples of this very thing in today’s present politics. And on social media, some can’t wait to put a rusty nail into someone else without giving it a second thought.
And it isn’t happening only to people in the public eye. It happens in our close relationships as well–between friends and even family. What would it take to change this? Maybe only a little examination of ourselves to see the truth about what we are doing?
Some days, I wake up not proud of what I did yesterday in my interactions with others. Some days, I put on blinders and push it aside. Other days, I want to change.
Changing any habit is hard. Changing an attitude toward other people is even harder. And seeing ourselves as the flawed person we are takes humility and courage. When I was young and turned up my nose at some people, my grandmother and my mother, both, gave me a pointed warning: “There but for the grace of God, go you.” In other words: None of us is perfect. Have empathy.
What is empathy? Simply imagining yourself in another’s shoes. Imagination is a God-given gift to all human beings, and we use it for good. But we can also use it for evil, especially when we imagine ourselves as better than someone else.
We all need correction, but sometimes we see only that others need it, not ourselves. We are so quick to condemn, so quick to criticize, so quick to stab someone in the back by spreading rumors, or telling lies, about them only to make our self shine brighter. Can we remember that there are the people who may never have been held in loving hands? People who’ve been ignored and perhaps not cared for. They may even be our own children, or parents, or closest friends. Or they may be prostitutes, drunks, drug-addicts, or thieves–even our neighbor next door. They may follow none of God’s commandments, or even believe in Him. They are people that we are quick to call sinners. But aren’t we all sinners? And yet Jesus calls us friends, and gave His life for us.
So, tomorrow, I’ll try to Shine a different way — a more self-less way –in my interactions with people. I will be empathetic and use my imagination to see them as God’s beloved children, and to see myself as His child as well, on my way to back to Him. I will no longer be a rusty nail in dealing with people, no matter how difficult they may be to interact with.
I’m gonna let it be the field
The one that rain forgot
I’m gonna let it be the summer
I’m gonna let it be your face
The one that ran away
I’m gonna let it be forever
I’m gonna let it rain and hail
Let the rusty nail
No longer hold this world together
I’m gonna let it be the sun
In more ways than one
Shine a different way tomorrow
Translating a World on the Edge 