Inclusive

I can remember the third grade as if it was yesterday afternoon.  I was standing in line, waiting to be chosen for one side or another in kick-ball or dodge ball.  I was not exceptionally tall for my age.  I did not play either game exceptionally well.  While I do not remember ever going last, there were times when I was very near the end.  I always remember being nervous, uncertain, and anxious.  Even after I was chosen, I felt the need to prove myself, to know that I belonged.  The feeling was never certain.  I was never on the inside crowd.
The memories of my childhood are occasionally still fresh, decades later.  Most of the time I am happy leaving them where they were on the shelf.  I enjoy recalling the broad brushstrokes of that era.  It is the details that get to me.  I often wonder if there are those that I was instrumental in pushing or keeping last in line, if only to save myself.  Was I the same as everyone else, simply watching out for number one? 
I cannot do much about yesterday except when I become aware of a detail long forgotten.  I can do something about the day that is in the process of coming alive.  I can make sure that those who are last know they are as important as those who are first.  I can reach out to those in need, even when they are unsure where they stand and how they fit.  I can include everyone in the family.  Each person has something to contribute while carrying a touch of uncertainty within.
Wisdom reminds me that the mantra for living includes this part of the call; “Make sure no outsider who now follows God ever has occasion to say, ‘God put me in second-class.  I don't really belong.’  And make sure no physically mutilated person is ever made to think, ‘I'm damaged goods.  I don't really belong.’”  (Isaiah 56.3) 
We are part of a big family.  We can make the difference in how others know they belong.