The Faith of Mr. Rogers, Week 5

This year I've been going through a new book, "The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers." Written by Amy Hollingsworth, a minister and friend of Fred Rogers, it chronicles nine simple lessons she learned about faith from him. I've read it through a couple times, and have been looking at it with my Sunday School Group. Over the next few weeks, I'll be offering short reflections on what I've learned from each segment.

The fifth toast stick looks at who is my neighbor. My like Jesus did with His parable, he turns that question on its head a bit. To begin with, it becomes about finding the good in everyone, no matter how difficult the situation. “Know this: You should judge every person by his merits. Even someone who seems completely wicked, you must search and find that little speck of good, for in that place, he is not wicked. By this you will raise him up, and help him return to God. And you must also do this for yourself, finding your own good points, one after the other, and raising yourself up. This is how melodies are made, note after note.”

This is similar to the parable Jesus offered about the Good Samaritan. In it, Jesus tells a story that would have been as striking for His audience at the time as it is for us now. He ends by telling everyone to go and do likewise. He turned the question of Who Is My Neighbor around. It isn't about figuring out who you should love, but rather loving everyone. You need to BE the good neighbor.

And Fred Rogers similarly flips the idea of loving others on its head, suggesting that to love others we first need to love ourselves. Near the end of the chapter Amy uses an example from A Wind in the Door. The quote she begins with is “If your name isn’t known, it’s a very lonely feeling.” This speaks to the idea that connection is vitally important to who we are. Her follow up suggests that the path to knowing and loving our neighbor begins with knowing and loving ourselves, and seeing how we reflect the love of God.

The path to loving and accepting others begins with loving and accepting ourselves. Fred Rogers said, “To be able to be accepted for who you are and to be able to grow from there is one of the great treasures of life. ” Seeing the beauty in others is what helps us to treat them like a neighbor. Seeing the beauty in ourselves is what gives us the courage to see it in others. That is the way Mr. Rogers flipped this mission on its head, and it's a good reminder that "Love our Neighbor as Ourselves" starts with being able to love ourselves.