In Their Shoes
“WOW! I wish I had a house as big as my friend’s home.”
“ Look at that lazy person who’s asking us for money. They should get a job!”
“ Man, she must be SO rich and carefree. She has really nice clothes.”
“ He is always so stuck up! He never talks to us at work.”
“ Watch out! I see a (insert race) person coming up to us. Walk faster!”
How easy it is for us to judge each other. I’ve done it. You’ve done it. And most likely we’ve been incorrect at least half the time.
But that’s not the point. “Just not lest ye be judged. “ Matthew 7:1-3
This has been a tough two years and we’ve all been feeling a bit broken. Some of us have been feeling angry and most of us have been feeling anxiety …..and the fears are growing with each new news report about wars throughout the world.
I read this passage today :
“Why do we do this (pray and send aid) for the Ukraine but not for those caught in similar conflicts elsewhere? Eritrea, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Myanmar and so many other countries currently fallen off the media focus? Yet you say you created all people out of love in your own image and saw that they were good. You cannot and do not deny your nature. Why do we and our governments fall short so often?”
This rings true to me. We need to remember all the countries that are struggling with hatred right now.
But, we also continue to judge our governments , our health care professionals , our neighbour, and everything is everyone else’s fault. There is still racism in our world too.
Matthew 7:5 says, “ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Perhaps it’s time to close our eyes and love with our hearts.
That person with the huge mansion? Perhaps they are mortgaged up to the hilt and are super stressed.
The homeless person asking for money? Maybe they have mental illness and therefore can’t work to get money to finance medications to help with their schizophrenia.
The woman with the gorgeous clothes? Her husband just left her and she treated herself to something that made her feel beautiful that day.
That guy that never hangs out with his co-workers? He is painfully introverted and wishes he could make the first move to say, “Hello”.
The next time I feel the urge to judge someone in my head, I’m going to give it a shake, close my eyes, and bless them .
Bless YOU, my friends.
