Am I teaching my children that every person deserves to be recognized? Am I teaching my children that all people have value and deserve to be respected?
I desire my children to reach out to that one child who needs a friend, that one child that walks the halls of their school alone, to see the needs of others and discover ways to help them. I want my children to grow up loving others for who God created them to be not because they are the so call cool people, or have something to offer back in return but because they are people God created and asks us to love.
After reading this article my friend Andrea Lambert wrote, it once again reminded me the daily need to for me to role model the act of recognizing and respecting every person to my children that I encounter. Teaching my children that every person is of value.
Thankful for another MOM Lesson and reminder.
Saturday Afternoon Border Crossing
“Hey, hey I know you!!”
… and I am thinking YEAH RIGHT! Of course you know me, and you also want to give me a good deal on that amazing painting of an Aztec warrior. You will probably give it to me “almost free” right? Thanks but no thanks.
Ok so I am a little too cynical. Thankfully I kept my mouth shut yesterday and just pretended not to hear the man shouting through my car window. I was driving across the boarder with a student from a visiting team. But the vender was persistent.
“I know you, I know you. Don’t you recognize me? You built a house for me and my family!”
So that got my attention, and caused a pang of guilt to shoot through my heart. Of course I should remember this man! I quickly rolled down my window and after talking to him for a minute I remembered who he was. I scrolled through my phone to find a picture I had taken of their newborn baby a few months after we finished building the family a home. At the time I had every intention of returning with a print photo to give as a gift to the family, but of course, I got busy and it had been a year and a half since I had seen the precious family…
After visiting for about five minutes in the borderline, I drove away, with a renewed promise to come and visit. It was great to hear that the family is happy, growing and building onto the little home that we provided for them. But more than an update about a family, our interaction gave me a renewed prespective. It is amazing how easy it is for my heart to grow cold, to be annoyed by people that deserve to be recognized for who they are. Of course I would be nice to this man, I had built him a home, but what if that weren’t the case, would it be acceptable for me to ignore him, to pretend that he didn’t exist?
I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Yesterday a man selling paintings of an Aztec warrior reminded me that just because I build houses for poor families in Mexico doesn’t mean that I always have love in my heart. He reminded me that I should see people for who they are. All people have value and deserve to be respected, even persistent street venders. Not a bad lesson for a Saturday afternoon boarder crossing.
*Andrea Lambert is Director of Advancement at Youth With a Mission San Diego/ Baja. Andrea lives her daily life giving and serving to the most needy families in Mexico with Homes of Hope. For more information how you and your family can participate in Homes of Hope click here.