Today, I waited in a line with hundreds of community members to cast my vote in the 2024 election. There was a wedding planner that talked of her stressful schedule. A struggling mother who wrestled four kids under four as she shuffled them through the exit. A young married couple who held their newborn. A bus driver that talked of his upcoming trip to Utah to take the UNA football players to playoffs. An older woman who voted for the umpteenth time guided in by her aging daughter. A senior in high school who was casting her vote for the first time guided in by her mom. No one was plastering their opinions of who or how they were voting. Everyone was kind to one another, respecting that we were all here for one reason-to do our part in making our country the best it can be.
I grew up watching Mr. Rogers have the opportunity to spend every day with these people, not in a voting line, but in the neighborhood. Many days, Mr. McFeely, the mailman, would stop by and offer to take Mr. Rogers on a field trip to the factory to see the assembly line workers that made crayons, or to the school to see a teacher’s classroom, or to the hospital to see the doctors making the patients feel better. As a kid, the whole neighborhood was full of people who loved their community and loved each other. As an adult, I realize that isn’t the reality. But, where was the disconnect? When did the neighborhood become more exclusive and less kind? I believe the answer is when the outcome of how we want things to be is conflicted with the outcome of what others want it to be…or maybe, even, with what God wants it to be. We become so desperate to be “right” that it becomes priority over being desperate to be “righteous.”
Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” What if Mr. Rogers walked into the crayon factory and criticized how they were making the orange crayons? What if he went into the school with the intention of complaining to the teacher about a grade she gave his child? What if he went into the doctor’s office and complained about the wait time in the waiting room? What if he never visited them at all? He took time out of his day to visit the crayon workers and compliment their work ethic. He would be astounded by the teacher’s ability to relate to the students, and encouraged the students to give gratitude to the teacher as well. He would remind the doctor how he made him feel better the last time he was ill. Mr. Rogers looked for opportunities to thank people. He could find value in anyone.
My neighbors that waited in line with me this morning were not all going to vote in the same way I did. A lot of their views are different than mine. But, everyone in that line today decided to find value in the fact that all of us were there before 9AM to do our part in making our country the best it can be.
Let’s face it: some people are just mean. As a kid, I didn’t think about the fact that Mr. Rogers might have beef with the teacher because of a conflict of interest. I didn’t think about the fact that on the episodes Mr. McFeely didn’t stop by, he and Mr. Rogers might have been fighting. No, children don’t think about those things. Children don’t get “butt hurt” and stay “butt hurt” because they don’t get their way. Children see the people in your neighborhood by their value: Firefighters save people from burning buildings. Police officers catch bad guys. Teachers help kids gain knowledge. Doctors make people feel better when they’re sick.
Everytime we make an enemy, selfishness is involved somewhere. You have the ability to remove it from your end by forgiving and finding value in that person. I know, I know…this is easier said than done. But even though some people are difficult, he or she is still a child of God; therefore, you can find value in that person. The book of Philippians surrounds the theme of joy, so it’s no surprise that Paul told us in Chapter 2 that true joy is found by humbling ourselves and finding value in our neighbor. Mr. Rogers said, “Respecting and loving your neighbor can give anybody a good feeling.”
Regardless of how this election turns out, Jesus is still King, and His inspired words are still Truth. So I encourage you to make neighbors and not enemies. “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my neighbor?”
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