Aunt Deb's Attic

Romans 12:16
Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

I have probably told this story before, but when I was in fifth grade, my family moved to Gore, Oklahoma, for about six months so that my dad could work as a welder on a lock and dam being constructed on the Arkansas River. For the first time in my childhood, we had discretionary income. We drove about 30 miles to Muskogee to shop and eat out. We got toys and new clothes for our Barbies – and it wasn’t even our birthday or Christmas!

Gore had a tiny elementary school – one class for each grade level. Most of the students were either children of construction workers – or very poor Native Americans. But the “construction children” were the ones others seemed to look down upon in this community. We were considered “nomads” who wandered in for a few months, then moved on to another location – some referred to us as “trailer trash.” And I can assure you, the way some folks acted toward us was anything but fun or pleasant!

I think this was the first time I realized how it felt to be “ordinary” – or something less. I recognized that people didn’t see us for who we were… we were judged on a far more exacting criteria. The one place where we were treated somewhat respectfully was at the local Baptist church… because my mom, sister and I could play the piano and organ. We were considered beneficial.

Even though this job offered my dad the opportunity to provide for his family, my mom didn’t have to work outside the home, and we had “spending money”…we were miserable. We wanted to come home, where people loved us and cared about us - and treated us like we mattered.

Think about this in the context of your life today. Do you feel like you are smarter – or better – than anyone else? Are there people in your class… at work… or in your church or community who you avoid or have an unfriendly feeling toward, for some reason? Have you examined why you feel this way? Does it really matter?

Our community holds an annual class reunion of sorts each October. The class who graduated 50 years ago serves as the hosts, and a program provides brief biographies on each class member. I have yet to come away from one where I was not amazed at the accomplishments of at least one classmate… usually the one nobody ever thought would amount to anything! Chemists and scientists, college professors, doctors, lawyers, architects, artists, world travelers, and much more are represented among these students once considered “ordinary,” or even poor – and unintelligent. How many times have you heard someone express astonishment at the success of someone who was always considered to be a lousy student?

The time has come for us to recognize that this is NOT how Jesus treats us. He does not look at any of us and say, “This one is poor and doesn’t matter… he/she isn’t the brightest bulb in the box… that one has crooked teeth or a big nose. I did not die on the cross for ‘ordinary’ people!” Each of us is precious to Jesus… so precious that He gave His very life for us. He would never treat even one of us as less than another. If we want to be like Jesus, we have to do the same.

Do you have some re-evaluating to do today? Isn’t it time we all made a little attitude check and figured out where ours needs an “alignment” of sorts? How many “ordinary people” can you count among your friends?

©2012 Debbie Robus