Not long I came across a line in one of Rick Steve’s travel guides that has caused me to think hard about my place in this world. If you watch much public TV, you know Rick…he’s the guy that does all of the European Travel shows. How do you get that job???
Anyway, Rick was talking about how to best tour a new land and his advice was to enjoy the country more like a local than a tourist. He recommends getting out of the really touristy areas to experience how people actually live. Rick believes that travel can make you a happier American and citizen of the world, because it brings to our attention that we are just one of the nearly 6 billion equally important people who live on the planet.
Whoa…how’s that for perspective? I am one of 6 billion equally important people. Remember, I am an only child, so this is a very hard pill to swallow. But, Rick is right. While it is true that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God knows the number of hairs on my head, it’s also true that he knows and loves hundreds of millions of other people just as intimately.
So either I am far less important than I’d like to think, or everyone else is far more important. I believe it’s the latter. Jesus confirmed this when he said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. To love someone else as yourself means you accept them as equally important.
I encourage you to join me in taking some time today think about your perspective about the importance of others. Ask God to help you to see others through His eyes, each person as an equally important individual created and called by the King.
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