Daughters of Promise November/December 2014 | Page 36
that bore witness. “My sweet mother and two sisters
were not so lucky. Now they are in the hands of
Allah the merciful.” He turned away and rearranged
something on the shelf. When he turned back, the
steel in his face startled me. “Tell me this, how many
Israelis must I kill to avenge my family? One Israeli for
each of my family members? Would five be enough?
Ten? There are not enough Jews in the world that
could die to make up for what they did to my family.”
I blinked and swallowed.
”There will only be peace in Jerusalem when we
say, ‘Enough. No more justice.’ We don’t need more
justice. We need mercy.”
My precious stereotypes thoroughly smashed, I
walked away humbled and asking God if there was
anyone else he’d like to introduce to me.
When you begin to pay attention to other people
you begin to make discoveries, some simple and
some profound. No one is ordinary. Allow yourself to
be staggered by the wonder and glory of the
person beside you on the bus, across the room
at the party, or smoking by her car after work.
C. S. Lewis says it best:
“The load, or weight, or burden of my
neighbour’s glory should be laid daily on my
back, a load so heavy that only humility can
carry it, and the backs of the proud will be
broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society
of possible gods and goddesses… it is with the
awe and the circumspection proper to them,
that we should conduct all our dealings with
one another, all friendships, all loves, all play,
all politics. There are no ordinary people.”*
Perhaps Lewis got carried away in his desire to
be poetic and colorful, and overstated things
a bit. Perhaps, but what does it mean to be
made in the image of God? For many of us,
it has become religious cliché, almost devoid
of meaning. Lewis’ creative shout shakes the
dust from our complacency and says, “There
are no ordinary humans! People are god-like!
Honor them!”
This subject is important for
women for two reasons:
1. A Woman’s Place:
Conservative Anabaptism
says that men and women
have different roles. At
its worst, this can create
women who wash dishes
WHEN
YOU BEGIN
TO PAY ATTENTION
TO OTHER PEOPLE
YOU BEGIN TO MAKE
DISCOVERIES,
SOME SIMPLE AND
SOME PROFOUND.
The Apostle Paul makes a similar point in
Philippians:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,
but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Each of you should look not only to your own interests,
but also to the interest of others. Phillippians 2:2, 3 (NIV)
But how? How do you follow Paul and Lewis’ heart
when in conversation? What does it mean to consider
someone better than yourself when talking with
them? For this, I have one answer, only one practical
word of advice.
Ask lots of questions. This is the most unselfish
conversational act you can perform, and if you
believe that others are more important than yourself,
questions should flow naturally. People love talking
about themselves and very few people will hesitate
to answer questions from a good listener.
Jesus asked questions to stir conversations, “Whose
image is on the coin? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins
are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Who was
this man’s neighbor? What did Moses command you
(concerning divorce)?”
-36-
The Gospels record Jesus
asking over a hundred
questions.
More
than
anyone else in history, Jesus
of Nazareth focused on
others. He never wished
that those prickly Pharisees
wouldn’t be so snobby. He
never complained that he
had no one more familiar
to talk with than that
Samaritan woman.
NO ONE IS
ORDINARY.
but do not influence people
for the kingdom. Men and
women are different and
have different parts to play,
but remember, except
for
passages
explicitly
directed towards men, the
rest of the New Testament
still applies to women, The
Great Commission, looking
to the interests of others,
and following the pattern
of Jesus’ earthly life are
directives that call for taking
initiative, stepping out, and
being proactive.
2. The Feminine
Advantage:
Men are made for battle.
Women are made for
connection. It’s why we like
the movies that we do. This