We have needs. From the center of the our souls outwards, a set of needs, values, and priorities shape the way you and I see and understand what is around us. Few are able to move beyond the first or second layer of our visions. We see everything from our perspective followed by the touch of individuals and institutions that can change our lives. I see others only when I intentionally turn and look.
What would life be like if we saw others and the outside before seeing ourselves? Life reminds me that others matter. There is the reality that God always takes care of those in need. If we, myself included to not care, then “night is coming for them, and nightmares, for God takes the side of victims.” (Psalm 14.5)
We win if we see beyond ourselves.
As easy as it is to write, I can see the difficulties this presents. I need to survive. The idea that we have equal billing is hard to imagine. I am jumping to mistaken conclusion that I have embraced repeatedly in my life. Love never asks us to choose between our own good and that of others. Love asks us to see others as ourselves.
Imagine a world where we embraced others for who they are. In this world we forgave them for their past. We see them in the present, imaging endless positive possibilities. In our walk together we looked to lighten their load. We reflect and grow in trust and hope.
Even more impossible, imagine a world where our first gift to the other was a gift to ourselves! We let go of guilt. We released our burdens. We lived in the present, filled with hope, ready to see and act. Dreams become real.
Advocacy for victims starts with embracing the compassion, mercy, and forgiveness offered by others, including God. In doing so, I can use the freedom within to release myself to look outside. In seeing others holistically, I have an opportunity to look at myself through the same lens.
I want this world.
