Compassion & Careنموونە

I’m not a great traveler, especially on long plane rides. On a cross-country trip a few years ago, I reviewed the limited movies offered and decided to read.  After reading the magazine from cover to cover, I still had three and a half more hours! So, I decided to scroll the movie offerings again and since I am famous for falling asleep during a movie, I decided to watch the movie about Mr. Rogers for the second time.

I watched Mr. Rogers growing up and made sure that my kids watched Mr. Rogers so I could cook dinner after work. Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister whose calling was to create a “holy space” for the TV studio and the children watching on the other side. His belief was that everyone has inherent value. His show was one of acceptance and inclusion.

He believed the most important thing about communication is listening…and often responded with silence. He listened with compassion to the child whose stuffed dog lost its ear in the wash. He listened to the young boy with a spinal halo who was confined to a wheelchair.  He listened to the child who was angry when the kids at school were mean to him because he was different.

Fred Rogers dealt with difficult topics and modeled acceptance and inclusion when the world did not.  The simple gesture of taking off his shoes to cool off his feet along with one of the African American cast members was his way of addressing the conflict about white people excluding black people from public swimming pools.  He talked honestly about things like death and war in a way that still made children feel safe and loved. Fred Rogers sang, “It’s you I like, every part of you.” What is essential to life is invisible to the eye.  This is the invisible gift of love.

There is so much division, distrust, and fear in our country and even in our families today. There is so much that we can learn from Mr. Rogers.  We can remember the importance of respecting, accepting, and listening to one another even if we disagree.  We are all loved as a precious child of God just as we are. I like to call it the invisible gift of love. We are called to accept and love our brothers and sisters in Christ! Our kindness to others goes a long way. Romans 14:1-2 (Message) says: “Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something that you don’t agree with – even when it seems that they are strong in their opinions but weak in their faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.”

Declare this: Today, I will be a representative of Christ’s love. I will remember that we are all created and loved by the same Heavenly Father. I will choose to value each person even if I don’t understand or agree with their opinion, remembering that God is doing His work in their hearts and minds the same as He is doing in me.