I attended the Wake Forest School of Divinity chapel service yesterday, and Derek Hicks was preaching. He mentioned the motto of his alma mater, Grambling State University, “Where everybody is somebody,” and I cannot get the phrase out of my head.

Where Everybody Is Somebody.

What would it mean to live in a world where everybody is somebody? It would mean that we take seriously the concerns and needs of children. It would mean that each and everyone of us would have a both a presence and a purpose to live into. It would mean that people wouldn’t be treated like children in their homes. I could list a million things in this country that would be different if we really believed, deep inside, that everybody is somebody.

And we would live different lives if we believed that we ourselves were somebody.

Because somebodies have power and meaning and value. And somebodies impact the world.

TODAY’S ADVENT ACTION: How could you show another person that they are “Somebody?” Like yesterday’s post, it’s about knowing people (and calling people) by name. Do it today!