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Seeing People As "Loved Ones"
Seeing People As "Loved Ones"
Two weeks ago, I was driving home from school and noticed a big orange sign in a construction zone where they were working on the road. The sign read, “Loved ones at work.” For days (and I guess weeks at this point), that sign has been on my mind. The message was an effort to get people to slow down in construction zones and to consider that the laborers are loved ones – brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, grandchildren, grandparents, and friends. We have shamelessly objectified humanity to a point that we consider it a burden to slow down a mere 10mph less than the normal speed limit to warrant safety. We make memes and jokes about people dying in a submersible (regardless of their wealth), only moments after the tragedy. We fight and become gluttons of hatred because someone does not see politics or religion the way we see them. We have lost touch of viewing people as “loved ones,” namely, those who are loved by God.
Many will gloss over the short 21-verse book of Obadiah, but its message addresses this very issue of correcting how we should see people. The book is a warning against the people of Edom, the neighbor and brother of Israel (Gen. 25). As Israel faces their judgment from God through the Babylonians, the Edomites take notice of an opportunity to capitalize on the chaos. Once they see the vulnerability of the Israelites, they pursue the city of Jerusalem and seek to benefit from their suffering. The self-proclaimed elitist nation of Edom ransacked, abused, and acted violently toward Israel (Ob. 2-10). The punishment for Edom would be God’s justice “as you have done, it shall be done to you. Your deeds shall return on your head.” Through selfish ambition of taking advantage of someone else’s misfortune, Edom would suffer from their reckless actions.
Edom had become so distanced in their relation to Israel, they no longer saw them as family but as estranged neighbors. If we trace our heritage far enough, we all go back to Noah (and eventually Adam). We share in the uniqueness of bearing the image of God (Gen. 1:27).
Furthermore, God proclaims, “All souls are mine” (Ez. 18:4). Those customer service reps on the phone, the person in the car in front of you in traffic, the restaurant worker, the clerk behind the counter are all precious souls seen by God. Your boss, your employee, your coworker, are irreplaceable souls seen by God. You can quote the rest but consider the first few words of the most popular Bible verse in the world; “For God so loved.” Every single person you see is a loved one. Substitute the tendency of being malicious with the determination of being selfless.
