Fear Turns to Understanding and Friendship by Vicki

The elders have been reading a book entitled Fear of the Other by William H. Willimon which I highly recommend. One common fear of others is when a person doesn’t resemble oneself in race, ethnicity, economic class, or any number of ways. I am remembering an experience I had with a classmate in fifth grade in my little community of Clovis, NM. He was a pale, skinny young boy who seemed different to me in many ways. There was something unusable about him and he was often alone. He simply went by the name of Jr. He seemed to be an attention seeker, and had made a habit of chasing me at recess which I found very annoying. Finally one day it occurred to me to stop running, and as I sat down on one of the schoolhouse steps, Jr. joined me and we began to talk. I learned that he had diabetes and he struggled daily with a hunger for sweets. I sensed he was lonely and wanted very much to fit in. This “fear of the other” that I had been feeling gradually turned into understanding and friendship and over time our friendship grew. Then one Monday morning, when my radio alarm went off, it was announced that Jr. had passed away over the weekend. This sweet young man lived life with his illness as bravely as he possibly could and left behind a loving family and some very loyal friends. I give thanks that in our world today, the Type 1 Diabetes that Jr. endured is much better understood and successfully treated. I feel it is my faith in God that turned my fear into understanding and I give thanks that I was blessed with that special friendship.

Matthew 22: 36 - 40

A lawyer asked Jesus a question to test him, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible