I came across this image recently, and it could’ve felt like a callout, but to me, it read more like an invitation to reflect. As I sat with it, I realized I’ve knocked on every one of these doors. I’ve entered every one of them. I’ve criticized people. I’ve gossiped. I’ve chosen to look the other way when it might have been better to get involved. I’ve also encouraged people and helped when I chose to. What I couldn’t stop thinking about was which line I’ve returned to the most, and why I chose that line.
It’s easy to criticize, and I think that’s why I’ve stood in that line more than any other. When I judge someone, I’m usually measuring them against my own standard of right and wrong, not necessarily theirs. And if I’m honest, sometimes it makes me feel better about myself, at least for a moment.
The line to gossip has been just as easy for me to step into, even if it’s a little shorter. Sometimes it’s been less about the other person and more about me. Finding something wrong in someone else’s life made my own feel a little better by comparison. Other times I got pulled into someone else’s conversation and just ended up agreeing, or adding my own take.
The line to get involved has always felt a little shorter to me, because now there’s responsibility attached. Once I do step in, I’m no longer just watching from the sidelines. I’ve become part of the solution, and if things don’t go well, I know I carry some of that responsibility too.
Then there’s the line to encourage. It’s surprisingly short for me, considering how little it actually costs to tell someone they’re doing a good job, remind them not to quit, or just let them know they’re not alone. But when I’m not doing so well myself, it’s harder for me to show up for someone else that way. Maybe because encouraging someone else asks me to make their moment more important than my own.
And finally, the shortest line for me… the line to help. I think it’s the shortest because helping asks me to give more of myself than simply getting involved. When I’ve been dealing with my own struggles, I haven’t had the capacity. It takes time. It takes effort. It’s asked me to give something of myself with no guarantee I’ll get anything back. But it’s also where I’ve seen some of the greatest impact made.
And that’s what this reflection comes down to for me, understanding which lines actually serve me and move me forward, and having the awareness to choose differently when I find myself defaulting to the ones that are simply easier.
Maybe that’s what this image was really reminding me of. Although I’ve stood in every line, I don’t have to keep choosing the ones that don’t serve me or move me forward.
The Lines of Life
A Reflection by Alexander Bush
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