Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
The Most Important Lesson My Father Taught Me

The Most Important Lesson My Father Taught Me

Last updated on: November 27, 2021 at 2:49 am by Duncan Edward Pile

The Most Important Lesson My Father Taught Me 2021-11-27T02:49:25+00:00 Duncan Edward Pile

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I was brought up in the faith, and as a very young boy, used to read the Bible each night with my Dad, before bed. On one such occasion, Dad presented me with the idea that everyone was equally important in God’s eyes. At the age of five, I was struck by a compelling conclusion:

“Does that mean I’m as important as the Queen?” I asked.

“Yes, but it also means you’re as important as the nearest tramp,” Dad answered.

Tramp is a now-disused UK term for a homeless person. The contrast was stark – the Queen of England, surrounded by attendants and riches in her palaces, and a homeless person, filthy and alone under a hedge. It was what I now call a zen moment – when something strikes you so powerfully you resonate like a gong, leaving you becalmed and thoughtful in the aftermath.

It did something to me, instantly rearranging my perspective. I felt the change, though at the time I couldn’t put it into words. From that moment onwards, I saw people in a different light. I understood on a simple but profound level that we are all infinitely valuable, because we are all made in the image of God, and are loved.

I remember a journey to school on a bus, years later, when I was about thirteen. We drove past a homeless person, and someone nearby growled through gritted teeth:

“Get a job!”

I was shocked, and immediately angry. This homeless person was precious to God, but in an instant they had been dismissed and judged, for their misfortune. Dad’s lesson had burrowed deep into my psyche.

The school I attended was posh, private, and fee-paying. From the very first day they blew smoke up our posteriors:

“You will be Captains of Industry…”

“You are the brightest and best in the land…”

“This school has produced some of Britain’s finest…”

“Thirty percent or more of you will go to Oxford or Cambridge…”

It all rang hollow to me. I had an unswerving, instinctive dislike of pomp, which has only intensified with age. The constant braggadocio never felt like a cloak I could comfortably wear, because to wrap myself in it meant forgetting the tramp. The sales pitch was constant, but my heart would not accept that some people were more important than others.

I chose my school-friends the same way. If someone was bullied and marginalised, I befriended them, though that drew the bullies’ attention to me, as well. This wasn’t from some sense of duty or moral superiority – my heart just went out to the kid being picked on. I couldn’t stand the thought of his pain, so he became my friend, as did the next one, and the next one.

This has served me well in life. I have wonderful friends, most of whom don’t push themselves forward as the brightest and best, and don’t indulge in boastful speech or behaviour. These are down-to-earth people, unpolluted by overweening personal ambition. They are the salt of the Earth. And you know what? The salt of the Earth are loyal; the very best, most devoted friends a person could ask for. I have high-achieving friends too, but only those who’ve worked hard to pop any bubble of self-importance, and who use their position for the good of others.

In my twenties, I was privileged to travel the world as a missionary, where I saw and shared the experience of those trapped in terrible forms of poverty. I saw children playing in sewage, running freely down the street in Cebu, Philippines. I got to enter these families’ homes, which were little more than walls of banana plant fibres and scavenged roofs of corrugated tin, where I received the warmest welcome I’ve ever known. It was an honour to meet and talk with these people, whose lives were more honest and uncomplicated than my own. I cannot claim to have helped them, but they helped me by opening my eyes. Such is the nature of travel, when you go off the paved paths, laid for tourists.

Exposure to poverty only deepened my father’s lesson. When I hear news stories of refugees, dying in the English channel, my heart is only with the people in need. To me, national character is defined by how we treat those who come to us, in need of support, inclusion and a welcome.

When I look at the life of Jesus, I don’t see a guy seeking the approval of the well-to-do, or courting the companionship of the powerful. I see rugged, raw humanity, arms open wide to all who suffer. When I spend time in the Gospels, I see a person driven by compassion, for whom nobody was more special than anyone else. I see God, willing to serve his own creation, bending to wash our feet. I would have loved to be in that company of disciples, walking and talking with the Lord and his rowdy bunch of rebels.

When I think back on those few words from my Dad, I see them as a rock, dropped into the stream of my life and diverting it forever. He will no doubt think I’m exaggerating, or overdramatising the moment, but I know better. That single lesson imparted to me a principle of compassion which has shaped my perspective and decisions ever since.

Where do you see Jesus? Is he hanging out with the rich and powerful, or is he with the bewildered, the suffering, and the lost?

Lord, develop in us new depths of compassion. Soften our hearts, where they are hard, and help us shift our gaze to the marginalised, placing their needs above our own. In doing so, we find you.

God has no favourites

made in God's image

Previous Post

November 25, 2021

For the Avoidance of Dishonour

Next Post

December 2, 2021 Understanding Progressive Christianity, Part 1 – The Necessity of Deconstruction

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A time for war and Sheol Authentic Faith Being in Christ Christian marriage Christian Mysticism Christian Nationalism Christian Parenting Christianity and politics Church and State De/reconstruction Discipleship Divine Healing Divine judgement Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater Effective Prayer Embracing the LGBTQ+ Community Embracing the LGBTQIA+ community End-Times Fellowship with his sufferings Gehenna Glorifying God Hades Healthy Debate Heaven and Earth Hell Honouring Christian Women I still believe inter-faith dialogue Interpreting Scripture Keep the faith Knowing the peace of God Living in Abundance Loving Each Other Loving God Loving Ourselves Mental Health Mental Health and Faith Old and New Covenants Practice Peace Prophecy Prophesy Re-thinking Christian Concepts Resist the Devil Revival Salvation Seeking God Sex and love sin and sinfulness Sound theology Spiritual Authority Spiritual discipline Spiritual effectiveness Spiritual Gifts Spiritual growth Spiritual Mentorship The Christmas story The Cross of Christ The divine feminine The Fear of the Lord The Holy Spirit The importance of kindness The importance of theology The MAGA Cult The Ministry of Jesus The risen Christ The service of Jesus the sin of judgement The spirit-filled life The Virgin Birth True worship Uncategorized Understanding God Understanding Old Testament prophecy Understanding Self-Worth Understanding the Bible Union with God War and Peace

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 September 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: In Revelation, the New Jerusalem has ten gates, each made of a single pearl.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE