WHAT GOD WANTS OF YOU

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October 11, 2026

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“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Atticus Finch

(‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, by Harper Lee)

 

How often do you do this? If we are honest, it is seldom, if ever. In our world today, we are taught to compare ourselves to others or to those we admire. Our vision, understanding, and acceptance of others are often overshadowed by our focus on “me, myself, and I.” We seldom accept others as they are, as God created them, because we are too quick to compare them to who or what we want them to be. This is sin. How are you doing with it?

 

The old song “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” comes to mind, but few remember it, and even fewer accept its lesson. That simple lesson has been passed down from generation to generation, but it seems this one has found a way to ignore it like no other. The selfishness, greed, wantonness, and blind lust for wealth and power have overtaken our society and turned us against anyone or anything that doesn’t meet our demands. We fail to look at ourselves and see our own flaws because we are too busy inventing “flaws” for others, which, in reality, is none of our business. When I look at many in our world today, I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. The hearts and minds filled with sin, divisions, and hate are not something I would choose. What would you do?

 

“We must recognize that all beings want the same thing we want. This is the way to achieve a true understanding, unfettered by artificial consideration.”

Dalai Lama (1935-), Tibetan Buddhist Leader

 

This is true; we all want the same things. We want to be accepted, recognized for who we truly are, and, most of all, loved unconditionally. Yet most people aren't living that way, especially here. Our nation was founded on equality for all and on the idea that we all want, need, and deserve the same things: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Where did we go wrong? How do you see this?

 

We claim to be a nation of religious values, yet we fail to live by them. We reject the teachings of Jesus and others who gave of themselves to show us the way. Instead, we choose our own path and run over anyone we deem beneath us. We never ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” We are too busy doing it our way to pause and consider others' ways or the “Way of Righteousness.” Our “self-righteousness” rules in a world we create for ourselves rather than accepting the one God created for us. When we stop seeing all others as God’s children, we stop living in righteousness and lose our understanding of others and of God’s will for our lives. This fault begins with those who lead us, as it did in the world Jesus lived in. Who is leading you?

 

Mark 7:6-8, 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 8 “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

 

Jesus often reminded us to look closely at our “leaders,” those who teach us, influence our lives, and guide our country. We have lost this in today’s world. We are too focused on “what will they do for me” instead of the image they project for the world to see. Our leaders today are like the Pharisees Jesus spoke against; they lead us astray. Like the Emperor of that day, our leaders today rule and reign with force and attitude instead of heartfelt godliness. The difference is that we elect our leaders; in his time, the elite, the wealthy, and the powerful appointed them—wait, perhaps I am wrong; just look at what is going on. Perhaps we have missed the mark; indeed, we have sinned, and we are now paying the price, while the debt keeps growing. We honor God with our lips and live as we choose; we worship and serve God with our lips and words, but our hearts are absent. Our churches are filled with empty precepts that honor the institutions, their dogma, and their creeds, but speak in vain of the “Love that is God, and should be our way of life.” We reject what Jesus taught and replace it with our own greed. What understanding do you follow?

 

John 8:43, Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word.

 

For over 2,000 years, Jesus has been asking this same question. And for all this time, we have been giving the same answer. Indeed, we cannot accept his words; we choose to follow our leaders. Those who twisted his simple message of unconditional love for all into meaningless creeds, dogmatic theologies, and endless myths. Not just our religious leaders, but also the leaders of our families, societies, and nations. Our leaders reflect who we are. They show the world, and us, the best and worst of who we are. We reject Jesus' teachings and his righteousness for the self-righteousness and lusts of our lives and the world around us. We do not understand his teachings because we have bought the lies of those we follow instead of his simple truths. We have rejected the “cornerstone” for the sake of wealth and power, for the judgments and condemnation of others, for the false hope of empty success. His words still echo across humankind, yet they still reject them. What are you doing?

 

“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.”

John Steinbeck (1902-1968), author

 

This is what Jesus and all the others are trying to tell humankind. This is the message God wants you to know and share with the world. You will never truly know anyone until you can feel them within yourself. Walk a mile in their shoes, live a moment in their life, and see the world as they do. You will never know what God wants of you until you live this truth and see others as God does.

 

Do you?

 

Rev. Dr. Shannon Rogers, DDiv

Sr. Pastor and President, Unitarian Christian Church of America (UCCA)