I’ve been learning about and praying about the concept of Christ-like love. As you know, Jesus told us to love our enemies and to be kind to those who despitefully use us and persecute us. I’ve often thought that I can see where I could be that way with ordinary people, but some politicians… hmmm … that’s a tough one for me.
This morning I had an interesting dream. I was in Washington, DC and had submitted my resume for a job in an office setting. I was immediately called in and hired on the spot. At this point I knew I was going to be working in Nancy Pelosi’s office. There was some confusion over where they would be moving her office.
Finally, an address was settled on, and I went inside a government building with long, steep stairs that were rickety. I could feel them shaking a bit under my feet. Ahead of me I saw Nancy Pelosi, walking upstairs to her offices. I marveled that they would put an old woman with such a prominent position in this rickety place.
I understood that she had just spoken on the main floor and was now going upstairs. When I reached the next floor, the person who hired me greeted me at the office door and had me come into a small office that had a desk that ran along three sides of the room. As I stood inside the room by the door and faced the desk, there were two other people seated along the first wall on the left by the door. There was an open desk for me on the right side of the far wall.
“You’ll be editing videos of Mrs. Pelosi’s speeches,” the person explained.
I thought it interesting that they had hired me for video editing since it wasn’t anything particularly mentioned in my resume. I hadn’t mentioned any particular software programs on my resume – even though I am good at video editing. Glancing at the first monitor I could see a Camtasia icon.
I said, “Oh, I see you have Camtasia. That’s good.”
At the second desk sat Joe Biden. He had an article on the screen in front of him. He was using Camtasia for a word processor. I was surprised because Camtasia is not a word processor. I wondered why he didn’t use Word or something like that. They explained that they edit the videos of Nancy Pelosi’s speeches, and then they put the articles at the end of the video.
Strange, but okay, I thought.
I asked who recorded the speeches. The person explained that would be my job to record them as well.
I began to recap what I thought they were hiring me to do so that I was clear on my duties. “So, I record her speeches and then edit them and write articles to go at the end?”
“No, you don’t write the articles. Joe writes the articles.”
At this point, Joe Biden stood up and turned to face me.
I felt rather upbeat. I could do this job. I had the skills, and I could probably finish my work early and have time to spare if this was all I was expected to do.
After I was clear on what I was doing, everyone left the room, but Joe Biden stayed behind. He became serious and said, “I know who you are. You better not let your beliefs interfere with the job.”
I assured him that I was professional and that I would honestly and ethically record the videos and edit them properly.
He asked me if I could do that considering how vocal I had been against them and their party during the election. I said, “It’s not like I’m working on your campaign. What’s done is done. You’re here. I’ll do my job professionally.”
“You are very principled,” he observed as if he actually admired that about me.
“I am very strong in my principles, but I am fluid about people,” I said. As I said it, I had an epiphany. I knew this was important … that I could stay strong in my principles while allowing my perception of people to be open.
At this point I became excited that I might find some good quality… some humanity in these two people. I hoped that while being around them a lot, I might find some goodness in them. Just because I didn’t agree with them on principle, didn’t mean they didn’t have some aspect of them that was likeable.
I then told Biden, “If I find something good in her or in you, I will be the first to admit it. I will be the first to write about it.” His eyes lit up at the prospect.
I thanked Joe Biden for helping me discover an answer I had been seeking … that I could be strong and hold to my principles and still look for the good and be loving and kind toward people who are opposed to my principles.
As the dream ended, I realized that perhaps I could be of service to my country in this place… here among people I had considered my enemies… perhaps I might have some greater influence for good by being myself, being loving, and by staying principled. Obviously, I would have to move on soon. I couldn’t possibly work on their campaigns with the principles they held. But perhaps I could have a positive influence in the meantime by looking for the good.
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