Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes

As a young boy, I remember my grandmother talking to me about a couple of life principles. She stated that most things are not as they seem, and that we should try to put ourselves in another’s shoes before casting judgment. Those are great things to learn, but integrating those principles into our lives is much harder. That became ever apparent recently as my wife and I traveled to New York after being asked to host the U.N. International Prayer Breakfast. This event had over seventy different ambassadors as well as the current and incoming security general in attendance.For the past several months, I felt strongly that the U.S. should pull out of the U.N. I believed the intergovernmental organization comprised of 193 members was dysfunctional and operated more like a country club. My opinion was based upon hearing reports of mass grave discoveries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this past year, and girls as young as eleven continuing to be married in some of these participating countries.

I was afforded the opportunity to have breakfast with many of the ambassadors from several countries. It did not take long for me to realize that my opinion of their country was based upon reports I had read or heard. To my surprise, some of these men and women shared the same concerns about human rights violations, etc. Some of these men and women did not share my faith, but they were deeply devoted to their own faith and their families. These men and women were under incredible stress representing the desires of their respective leaders and countries. Some shared that their personal opinions differed from their leaders on many of these matters, and that their time in the U.S. altered their views on many life issues.  

On the plane ride home, I reflected on the previous two days and the relationships I’d made. I thought about the ambassador who had converted to Christianity while serving in New York yet had to remain silent for fear of being killed and putting his/her family in danger due to this conversion.

I also thought about the young wife of an ambassador who attended Bible study as a coping mechanism and refuge from the abuse she suffered at home. This trip completely changed my opinion of our participation in the U.N., as I considered myself in their shoes. If we did not participate, then we would not have the opportunity to develop personal relationships and invest in their lives.