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Our current times are full of unsettling disunities. There is hardly a day that goes by that some horrible injustice, horrific accident, or violence does not unsettle our day. There also seems to be a split in the community we live in; for one reason or another, we find ourselves either choosing sides or avoiding people or places that may put us into conflict. This disunity moves us further and further from others. We tend to isolate ourselves in a place or with a group we feel comfortable in.
How do we, as both Christians and human participants of our current world, live a satisfying life? Jesus told us to love one another, but how do you do that when you’re often rejected or judged unfit to work together to build this community? We are isolated by what we believe and unwilling to listen to others as human beings. I am not talking about standing up for the truth, but about communicating with others on the most basic human level, the common bonds of our basic humanity. The very simple things that unite us as human beings.
I’ll share a situation I had many years ago that taught me how this concept worked. I was visiting patients at a nursing home, and as I passed a room, I saw a woman in a bed. I had passed her room several times, but no one ever seemed to visit her. On one visit, I took the time to go in and see her. She was stoic, and for a moment I did not think she wanted me to talk with her. She was of a very strict religious sect, and I, although Christian, was highly suspect, for I was not of her denomination. But I persisted; she told me she was thirsty. I looked around the room and saw a large plastic cup. She could not drink from the cup because of how she was positioned in bed. I saw she needed a straw. I told her I would go and get a straw from the kitchen. I did and returned about ten minutes later. Put the straw in her cup and lifted her head so she could take a sip of the water. Her face transformed, and as I was holding her head, she stopped drinking and looked at me, and I at her. I had seen her need, and she saw that I wanted to help her. It was a transforming moment for the two of us. The physical need for water and my ability to help- it was as if a light went on in the small room, and grace descended, as we both experienced each other as human beings. Truly, it was Jesus present in the moment. We were both deeply moved. What I learned that day was that, even with all the things that divided us, we were human, and the straw, as simple as it was, led to a moment of shared grace. When we see others’ needs and set aside what divides us mentally, economically, or politically, we are all human beings with bodies who need to eat, drink, and find shelter. We all get sick, some of us end up in jail, and all of us die. These are the common bonds of every single person on the planet. We can witness to others our Christian duty to "love one another as I have loved you. "Through our witness to our Christian faith, we do not necessarily have to preach, demand, or isolate others because they are not like us. We can see the other person’s human needs and willingly help and care. Our Faith is in action; our very bodily needs are the humblest of tools we can use to show care, a simple road to compassion and service.
I was checking out at Walmart the other day and didn’t realize my tennis shoe had come untied. I was in line when a woman knelt at my feet and tied my shoe. I was mortified at first, but as she tied my shoe, I realized she was, in her own way, caring for me and preventing me from stumbling and hurting myself. I did not know her; I will most likely never see her again, but I felt a deep respect and gratitude for her anonymous act. Our communities still have plenty of kindness and care. We must be brave enough to see others’ needs, regardless of politics, finances, ethnicity, religion, or lifestyle. We are all God's children, and all human beings have basic needs that can bond us, making peace possible in our world, country, and community.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." (Mathew 25: 34-36)