Music has always been something I’ve appreciated, but I have tended to enjoy the beat or the sound of a song rather than intently listen to the lyrics and gain the meaning behind them. It has always been more about how the song made me feel rather than what message it was conveying. So, in my years growing up atheist I was a big fan of Depeche Mode songs. I remember singing along to songs from an album (yeah, there was still vinyl readily available back then) titled Songs of Faith and Devotion.
Today as I reflect back on these songs I tend to listen to the lyrics and try to discern their meaning. I’ll be digging into a few songs from Depeche Mode here on the blog beginning with Walking In My Shoes.
I won’t assume to fully comprehend what Depeche Mode was talking about in the lyrics, but I do know that it conveys a sense of judgment that we always cast upon others. The chorus is:
- You’ll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Seriously, when we are casting judgment upon someone else, have we ever considered putting ourselves in their shoes? Really? When we look upon someone that is homeless with no means of support do we see them with eyes of compassion? Do we consider what they must be going through and offer some random act of kindness or a word of encouragement? Do we even consider them as fellow humans or do we look upon them as outcasts? Have we ever thought of what it must be like to be homeless ourselves?
A few weeks ago when I was in Malibu, on my way down to the beach I came upon a woman that appeared homeless. She was sitting along the path to the beach and just looking out into the ocean. The religious part of me wanted to offer to buy her food or try and share the gospel with her. However, the human part of me was envious of her. How it must feel to look so peaceful and to have no responsibilities other than gazing out into the ocean and wondering about the possibilities life holds for us. In the end I didn’t see someone needy or troubled. Her peace inspired me. I simply acknowledged her presence by smiling and saying “Good morning” upon which she responded the same to me. I can’t read her mind, but in the end I believe she knew that I was not looking down upon her or considering her my latest charity. I don’t think she was hoping I would approach her with some sort of handout or imposing myself upon her. It was simply a moment in time where two people crossed paths without rhyme or reason.
Was the woman truly homeless? I have no idea. I only know that it would have been easy to judge her as homeless and me to be someone that had more than her. However, there are many, many days when I wish I could experience a morning of just looking out at the ocean, feeling the cool mist upon my face and wondering and feeling the sense of peace that this woman seemed to be experiencing. What would it really be like to walk in her shoes? What would she be like had she walked in my shoes…stumbled in my footsteps…kept the same appointments I kept?
I eventually worked my way down to the beach and spent some time gazing off into the horizon as well. I cleared my mind, prayed for the woman I had just said “Good morning” to, and thanked the Lord for his providence in her life and for her inner peace and beauty. I asked the Lord to continue to provide for her and to never let her lose that calm, comforting spirit. I thanked God for my time in Malibu and for his creation. In the end, I remember more about my 5 second interaction with the woman I passed on the way down to the beach rather than the hour I spent relaxing on the beach. God works in mysterious ways.
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