The Hierarchy Culture

If you’ve never had the opportunity to go to a Disney park, you’re missing out on more than rides. They have built a culture at the parks where everyone is responsible for making sure all guests “have a magical time.” Part of creating that fantasy world us making sure the park is clean at all times. Whether you are a princess or a kiosk worker, you can lose your job if you walk past trash and fail to pick it up. No one is too important to not have to pick up trash if they see it.

Our human condition is such that we create hierarchies. At certain levels we think we are above doing certain things. At some levels, you don’t have to wait in lines. At others, people stand when you enter a room. Other levels mean never have to drive, cook, or clean. Many people spend a lifetime trying to achieve a level of importance where they don’t have to do certain things. However, no matter how important you get in this life, you will never reach a level, high or low, where you aren’t supposed to help others.

If someone has a flat tire, is financially destitute, has to move, or even has fallen into sin, it falls on each one of us to do what we can to help. Many of us don’t help because we feel we are at too high of a level or not on a level high enough to help. We must get beyond seeing these imaginary levels, look to the need and the person, and do what we can to help. If someone has fallen into sin, instead of announcing it on social media and talking about that person, go to them to bring restoration.

Galatians 6:3 says, “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important” (NLT). Paul puts us all in check with this one verse right after he talks of restoration and sharing burdens. We can’t let the hierarchy culture of the world seep into the Church. We can’t think for one moment that we are better than someone else and that we are above, or below, helping. Each of us have a responsibility to share the load, help others, and fulfill the Law of Christ as Paul puts it.