We Are the World

In 1895, Mary T. Lathrap’s poem, Judge Softly, brought the cliché, “walk a mile in his moccasins” (and all its variations in years to follow) into the American society. What follows is an excerpt from that poetic work:

Just walk a mile in his moccasins
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.
If just for one hour, you could find a way
To see through his eyes, instead of your own [ideas]*

In the 1970 (seventy-five years later), Joe South’s song, Walk a Mile in My Shoes, eerily expressed a similar sentiment in its chorus:

Walk a mile in my shoes
Walk a mile in my shoes
Hey, before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile in my shoes

Ephesians 4:32 (MSG) says, “Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” Think of it this way. God has forgiven you repeatedly for your mistakes, and gives you a fresh do over each time. If God can do that for you should you allow that to others?

When you lose your patience with a co-worker, the cashier at our favorite store, a friend or family member, do you truly have any idea why they are acting the way they do. Maybe they have a health issue which puts them in constant pain. That in turn makes them a bit crabby and short on patience.

Possibly there was a family crisis right before they saw you. Though the reasons for unpleasant behavior could be endless, I believe this still does not give someone the right to treat others horribly.

My feelings have always been that if you treat people badly that they may not be there when you need them the most. The Golden Rule is still the best to follow. “Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you.”

Stand up for others in times of crisis as others have done for you in the past. Proverbs 18:24 (NLT) remind us, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly…” You can’t out give when it comes to kindness.

*Original word was “muse.”