I’m not sure why, maybe it’s the social worker in me (probably the JESUS in me), but it wounds my soul when I hear of people talking about anyone as if they are less deserving of love and happiness than anyone else. Like, I literally feel it like a physical gut punch. I don’t care what your race, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, job status, substance use status, financial status, if you’re snuggled up in your home or if you’re homeless, if you’re two years sober or going to rehab for the seventh time, if you’ve been a Christian since you were little or if you aren’t sure there even is a God, if you’re feeling like the best days are now or there haven’t been any good days, YOU ARE WORTHY! You deserve dignity, respect, and love. I find value in you and your presence on this earth. Your value is knitted in to your very existence.
We’ve got to do better. We say things like what I just said above, but do little to nothing to show others how important they are. Can you imagine that there are people out there who don’t get smiled at on a daily basis? That there are people who haven’t heard “I love you” or been shown love in years? That there are children out there who no one is praying for? I’m not even talking about a worldwide scope. I’m talking about in our little communities that we’ve got the power to impact. We’ve got people in our very own community who are discarded and are grudgingly held responsible for every problem we have. The “good people” with power (not even formal power, but the power of having a platform and voice that, for some reason, resonates louder than most) sneer at them and don’t even want to provide something as simple as the ability to be clean and warm. Or we do that whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing where we just complain when we see traces of them in spots that could make us look bad so we make sure they are tucked away or at the very least that they know without a doubt where and when they are welcome.
Remember that everything we have can be changed in an instant. One car wreck, one diagnosis, one hiccup in a financial system, one decision can alter our entire way of living and we can be one of those people who experience a more difficult life. We could someday be that person who doesn’t have hope for the future or who feels so unworthy of a good life that they honestly don’t know how to change anything. But also remember that one smile, one opportunity, one job, one conversation, one minute of listening, one act of love can also change everything. We can be that person who becomes a force in the world that leaves everything better than we found it. We can be someone who loves and has hope because we’ve been there and can offer an understanding that moves mountains.
Am I my brother’s keeper? You bet your bottom dollar that I am. Keeping my brother includes being a helping hand, connecting folks to resources, being a resource when there aren’t any, smiling at strangers, donating to local foundations, sharing a Facebook post to get information about someone’s small business out, sharing a blog that you found helpful (🤣), giving time to volunteer, being an empathetic witness, teaching a class, or at the very least not offering useless advice and condemnation.
I’m not even sure this counts as a legitimate blog post, but I had to get it out somewhere. So here I am, just daring to be Des.
Daring to be Des 