I am a person not a number

It’s interesting how certain phrases are etched in our minds. In banking a common phrase people used was ‘ I am a person not a number’,  and  of course we’ve all had the call centre experience when all that seem to matter is not you the person but the number, and in some circumstances the call goes no further without it. To run a race competitors are allocated a number and you are unable to compete without it. Thus for the duration of that race you become that all-important number and some people will call out your number to encourage you at various points of the race. As a priest an important and legal aspect to the role is a license from the Bishop. So here again the all-important number.

Yesterday I visited a 93 year old church member in hospital and as I walked into the room his initial reaction was one of surprise, this baffled me a bit. During the visit to my continued bemusement, he kept saying 'I know how busy you are I don’t want to keep you'. It got me thinking about the role of a Priest and how it is perceived by others. Are we seen as people frantically running around doing a number of tasks fulfilling the requirements of a role - the license or because we really care? And of course it has to be because we care.

This morning whilst out running, for the first time in a while I listened to my favourite motivational CD by Matt Redman, 10,000 reasons.  I know that there are more than 10,000 reasons why Jesus cares about us and equally there are more than 10,000 reasons why we should care about others.

Numbers, licenses or whatever is needed in our jobs to fulfil administrative or legal requirements are of course necessary but it is the care, love, encouragement, compassion and kindness that we afford each other that makes all the difference.