A Mile in Our Shoes

"Indian Prayer: Grant that I may not criticize my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins." Those words were inscribed on a plaque that hung on the wall of my childhood home for years. I believe the plaque was a gift to my father from his pen-pal in India. The idea must be cross-cultural, because in 1970 Joe South performed a song called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes". Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone withheld judgment until they walked a mile in the shoes of the person they were about to judge? 

More unprecedented weeks in the United States. There is too much going on to address all of it in one reflection, so for now I will just stick with the items that relate to the theme above. Town halls have become more and more flooded with angry people challenging their leaders. A conservative political commentator recently framed the situation in a very negative way, saying that democrats were becoming unhinged, forming a mob. I felt outraged by his comment. How dare he sit there, secure with a job, healthcare and benefits, and judge those who were upset about losing theirs! I can't think of any better response to that commentator than the words of Joe South's song:

"If I could be you, if you could be me, for just one hour - if we could find a way to get inside each other's minds, if you could see through my eyes instead of your ego, I believe you'd be surprised to see that you've been blind. Walk a mile in my shoes, walk a mile in my shoes, before you abuse, criticize or accuse, walk a mile in my shoes." 

I was then shocked when I heard that a group of Venezuelans were sent to a horrible prison in El Salvador with no trial. People started talking about due process and I wondered what happened to "Innocent Until Proven Guilty". I kept having this haunting feeling, asking myself, "What if some of them are innocent?" I went on to ask, "If some of them are innocent, will they ever be able to get out of there, or will they become "forgotten like the unremembered dead" (Psalm 31)? That is one thing I can stop from happening. I vowed to never stop praying for them. 

There is a lot going on right now but there is very little that Jesus has not experienced personally in his walk on Earth. He took upon himself the worst that the world could dump on someone. He grew up in a poor family, under the rule of an oppressive government. He was betrayed, rejected, mocked, tortured and killed. He was falsely accused and convicted of something he didn't do. He suffered physical and emotional agony and personal humiliation. He knows what it feels like to be terrified. He knows what it feels like to be angered by hypocrisy. He knows what it feels like to experience all of the things that we and our Christian brothers and sisters are experiencing right now. He knows what it feels like to be us, because he truly has walked a mile in our shoes.   

                                          "My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46