I have told this to a few people so far and I think they were a little shocked, possibly wanted to laugh a little. Which is fine. I wouldn't have expected any other response. It makes me laugh a little. The other day on The Rabbit Room Blog, Jason Gray wrote a post about Mr. Rogers. When I saw how long the post was and that it was about Mr. Rogers, I almost didn't finish it. But I decided to stick with it and I am so glad that I did. The post talks about Mr. Rogers' faith which guided him and his show, and it talks about the impact he had on those around him and those around the world.
I didn't know that Mr. Rogers was a devout Christian. At the end of Gray's post he has included two videos and in one Fred Rogers says "Why in the world couldn't we use this thing called television for the broadcasting of grace through the land?" That is why he wanted to start the show. To broadcast grace. He wanted to give the message that he cared about people no matter who they were or what they were like.
The post shares a few excerpts from a book titled I'm Proud of You which was written by Tim Madigan. The book chronicles the friendship that he developed with Fred Rogers and shares details the faith that Rogers displayed in his life. It gives several examples of how selfless Mr. Rogers was and how he put others and their needs first. But one of these really stuck with me.
Tim writes of how Rogers demonstrated this the first time they spoke:
“Do you know what the most important thing in the world is to me right now?”
“No,” I said.
“Talking to Mr. Tim Madigan on the telephone.”
He could have been thinking about a million other things from his own family, to his show, to any of the problems that might have been going on in his life, but Rogers didn't do that. He took the back seat and put a stranger on the phone before all else. And from the people who ever met him, they will tell you that is the way that he was everyday, with every person that he encountered.
I will admit it to all of the readers here like I admitted to a few of the people that I told about this post in the Rabbit Room. When I finished reading this post, I cried. I wondered if the post had just caught me at an emotional or vulnerable moment and that is all it was, so I read it again before I started typing up this post. I cried again. I think I cried for two reasons. It is emotionally moving to see someone love people wherever they are, exactly as they are, with no exceptions. Rogers had been so shaped by the love of Christ that he did all that he could do to love everyone with that same love. But the second reason I cried is because I know that I don't even come close to that kind of love. Family? Yes! Friends? Yes! But there are people that I encounter everyday that I dismiss for countless reasons. I am too tired or too busy or find them just a little bit too different for me to invest in. And that is a tragedy.
I pray for new eyes and the ability to put all others first, so that God can have the glory.
I hope you will go over to the Rabbit Room and read the full post and watch the two short videos. It may take 10 minutes of your time, but it is a beautiful reminder of the life calling we have all been given and an example of someone who fulfilled that calling.
Click Here to go read the full post by Jason Gray titled: "I'm Proud of You" - My New Hero.
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