Once upon a time, there lived a wise and righteous king who cared deeply for his people. In order to ensure that his kingdom prospered, the king summoned one of his servants and gave him this decree, “Go and stand at the door of the palace. If someone comes and asks to see me, open the door and allow them in so I may speak with them.” So, the servant went and did as the king commanded. People came from far and wide to see the king. Some were rich men, some were great scholars, others were from noble families, and when they asked to see the king the doorman gave them entry. Then one day a poor beggar came to the palace door and asked to see the king. The doorman looked him over and frowned. The beggar’s clothes were dirty and torn, he wore no shoes and was unpleasant to look at. “Surely my king would not wish to meet with such a man as this,” the doorman said to himself, and turned the beggar away. Soon the doorman began turning others away; people he deemed too poor, or too sick, or too strange. When the king discovered what was being done he summoned the doorman to him. “Why have you been turning people away from the palace?” the king demanded angrily. The doorman was surprised and replied meekly, “My king, I was only performing the duty you gave me.” “Your duty was to open the door for those who would see me,” said the king, “not decide if they were worthy to do so.”
Have you ever turned someone away from getting to know you because they didn’t meet some set of standards you personally held? While I personally don’t do this anymore, there was a time when I did and this story was a great reminder of that. As it wasn’t that long ago when I regularly overlooked those who were destitute, disabled, unattractive to me in some way, or too odd in personality or appearance. Yet in the past bunch of years, with the transition I’ve been going through, I’ve become the very thing I once would have rejected in someone else. Yet through all my ailments, my lack of a job and income, and my own set of weirdness I tend to exhibit these days, I’ve learned to find love, compassion, and acceptance for all those I used turn a blind eye towards. Ironically, I also seem to be on the other side of the coin now where I’m the one experiencing rejections from other people who I was looking to befriend. While it’s never easy to deal with this when it happens, I remain grateful because at least I know now how it felt every time I did it to someone else. Nevertheless, I know that God, and whatever other Beings of Light exist out there beyond my comprehension, fully accepts and embrace me just as I am, and that’s what I pray I will always do from here on out with others in this world as well…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
