What does your sandwich board say?

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:11

Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.   Ephesians 5:1-2

In Frank Bruni’s book The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found he talks about not knowing what others have been through, what makes them behave in certain ways, what motivates or depresses them. (Point of reference: you may not know why that driver cut you off in traffic, or why your best friend snarled at you on the phone). His point is, if we all had sandwich boards with our limitations/struggles displayed for all to see, in other words, outwardly visible, maybe we would all know to be gentler with each other. We don’t always know where someone has been, but we can offer them care. Compassion. Forgiveness. Help. Maybe only a smile, but it’s a start.

What would your sandwich board say? In Bruni’s book, he contrasts daily sandwich board issues with bigger issues. For example, today my board might say “she feels stressed out by unfinished tasks”. A permanent board might reveal “she has had the same health challenges for 28 years and is tired”. Someone else’s board might read: “he has lost his wife and is overwhelmed by grief”. Endless sandwich board options.

In an essay titled "To The Woman Screaming On The Quad" in Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives by Mary Laura Philpott, the author points out that sometimes we are judged on our worst behavior, behavior that probably says more about what kind of day we're having rather than who we are most of the time. We've all been there. "Everything we've ever done, no matter how true or false to our nature, makes us the kind of person who does that thing - at least to anyone who was there for it." We can empathize with others, because we can recall times when we have felt that we had run out of patience, or were unable to deal with the situation at hand in a calm way. 

In considering these sandwich board revelations, maybe we can benefit from not only empathizing with others, but realizing we have much in common with those who are struggling just as we are.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for guiding me as your disciple. Show me ways in which I can demonstrate your love and care to those in my life. I want to better appreciate the fact that despite outward or visible differences, at our basic human level we are not so different at all. Help me to remember that we all have our own “sandwich boards”. Amen.

Donna Gustafson