Take a walk in other people's shoes

One of the greatest abilities we have been given is the ability to empathise. To be able to look at the world at least in part through other peoples’ eyes is a rare privilege. Letting us into another person’s world view is often what makes a good movie great, for example.

On one occasion I was asked to speak at an ordination and induction service of a friend. When I arrived at the venue, which was a few hundred miles from home, I realised that I had forgotten the dress shoes to wear with my suit. All I had to wear were a pair of white trainers.

I considered rushing out to buy a new pair, but baulked at the price and there was no time. As a last resort I asked my friend if he had a spare pair otherwise I was resigned to doing the whole service in stocking feet. He found his “Old” pair which looked well worn but were better than nothing.

As I put them on I realised that for the rest of the afternoon I was quite literally walking in the impressions of his feet. The experience was somewhat surreal.

If we are to truly engage our communities then we need to learn to empathise. We need to look at the world through their eyes and walk for a while in their shoes. Then we will begin to understand their needs and dreams and be better placed to serve them.

We can audit our communities to get a feel for its needs. This is essential if we are to be effective in the service that we offer, but there is also something to be said for going the second mile and seeing how it feels to be the people whose needs we look to meet.

Obviously we cannot do this perfectly and it would be arrogant to suggest that we will ever understand what another human being is going through, because we are not them. But that in no way negates the motivation to make the attempt.

This notion is not new or novel. Mother Theresa for many years identified with those she felt called to serve. She walked in their shoes and also in the shoes of the one she sought to serve through the people she ministered to. In that way she modelled herself on Jesus.

In Philippians 2:5-8 Paul tells us that we are to have the same mind as Christ who stepped out of heaven into our shoes. Taking the form of a servant he humbled himself.

Maybe it is time for us to go further in doing likewise, to take a ‘step down’ so we can lift others up. When we do we will discover a common bond between us and those we serve – and with Jesus too.

To take a walk in someone else’s shoes means more than just understanding them. It makes a statement - 'we are not so different, you and I'. We have much to learn from one another and maybe together we can be more than if we were apart.

Last Updated 30 November 2010