Years ago a woman pulled her car into the parsonage driveway. There was always some kind of drama going on in her life. That time it was an argument with her husband over “their wealth.” She talked so fast that I couldn’t get a word in. Suddenly she stopped talking and said, “You wouldn’t understand, you are a preacher, you’re supposed to be poor.” She drove away leaving my mind spinning like a merry-go-round after the child has jumped off and left.

She was right about one thing; I did not understand her life. We never do really understand each other. That is why we should be very careful when using phrases like, “If I were you, I would…” Anyone can coach a football game from the comforts of home (no experience required), but that is not the same as being in the heat of it all on the sidelines when every decision has ramifications that go far beyond the game on the field.

The same is true in community life. If I could borrow from another Joe South song: “If I could be you and you could be me for just one hour. If we could find a way to get inside each other’s mind. If you could see you through my eyes instead of your ego. I believe you’d be surprised to see that you’d been blind. Walk a mile in why shoes, walk a mile in my shoes. Yeah, before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes”

When we work a jigsaw puzzle, there may be a hundred blue sky pieces. All look the same, but none of them are. We may share similar experiences, yet none of our lives are completely alike. No one understands us like Jesus, and no loves us like Him. That is the one thing that we all share absolutely the same.