Was It Someone Important?

"Office Phone" CC BY-ND 2.0 by Karolina Kabat. Source: Flickr 

             Some years ago, a man arrived unexpectedly at my office, and as I was on the phone he had been asked to wait. He was quite indignant at this, and once I was available he loudly demanded if the person on the phone had, in fact, been "sufficiently important" to justify his waiting.

            If I recall correctly, I was stunned, and silent.

            "WELL?" the man yelled. "Was it someone important?"

            "Yes," I said. "Quite." I stately, quietly but firmly.

            We then sat in a stalemated staring contest, while the man in front of me expected an impressive identity to be divulged.  I did not oblige: partly as it was none of his business, partly as he was a character who could make name-dropping a competitive sport (always practicing the one-up).

            Mostly, I did not give the caller's identity as the person was important -- in the way that we are ALL important. Recognizing this importance and dignity is part of our baptismal vows; as is seeking the Christ in all people. So I was trying to behave, for my own spiritual discipline and practice, that the person on the phone was important, and a few moments later, the angry man in my office was important.  I aimed to give my full attention to the beloved child of God that I was privileged to interact with at each time.

            This is not always easy; in a society where our basic humanity is often overlooked and our perceived value can be linked only to titles or transactions, prestige or power. Many of us, like the man in my office that day, seemingly rank another person's importance compared to themselves, and expect preferred treatment over those deemed of a lower status.

            Yet this is not the Christian way. Our way is to see everyone as important: for they are. Whatever their station or situation in life, they are important. They are deserving of kindness and compassion. They are worthy of Christian love, as they are made perfectly in the image and likeness of God.

            And we, as the church, have the privilege to respond to that reality.

            I was reminded by this a few weeks ago, as I was invited to spend some time with a man in his final days in this life. As we spoke he shared wonderful uplifting stories of his interactions with people at the church. "I always knew I mattered there" he shared with me. "People treated me like I was important."

            What a beautiful reality to carry from this life into the next: that his life mattered, that he was appreciated, that he was important. What a wonderful expression of church at its best, that someone who had fallen on hard times could believe that truth.

            Would that we would all find ways to express to everyone we meet that they matter - to us, to the world, and to God.

            Was it someone important? Yes. Quite important. It always is.