Feeling Overlooked

I think that my passion for people who are overlooked began in high school when I felt isolated in my problems. High school is a time where many people are struggling to find their identity, but it is also a coming-of-age time, where many people are beginning to form opinions and passions of their own.

In the midst of the problems I struggled with, especially my struggles with depression, I felt as if my problems were overlooked or dismissed for not being serious enough. If I did have something I felt like I could contribute, I felt like my opinion was hushed or pushed aside as irrelevant.

I remember the moment I decided that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping those who feel overlooked feel seen and heard. This instance was probably more the climax to a bunch of little interactions that led me to so firmly choose to devote my life to this area, but it seemed like a rather large deal to me in the moment.

I was sitting at church with my parents, and one of the elders came up to conduct a vote with the congregation on a new pastor they were looking to hire. I remember being 17, pretty passionate about my faith, and ready to have a say in who was going to be the face of my church. They passed out the ballots, and I circled my response to whether or not I liked the guy, and then the elder said something that shattered my world: “If you are 18 or over and a member of this church, please turn your vote in to be counted.”

I remember being livid after this church service. I understood the need to protect the integrity of the voting process, but I was a member of that church who was probably living out my faith more passionately than some of the adults there. I wanted a say, especially since that church had taught me to raise my voice even when I felt unable to because of my age.

In that small, small instance, I knew that I had to leverage my life to help those who are overlooked feel understood. Too many instances in my life have I felt the pain and the shame of being disregarded, and I do not want anyone to float through this life feeling like their voice or their problems are irrelevant.