1.) Everything I say, think, & do are in harmony with the gospel:
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
♥ 1 John 3:18
And
2.) That others see the Lord in me:
He must become greater; I must become less.
♥ John 3:30
I desire nothing more than being filled by His Spirit: I want to love others to my absolute full capacity, loving them as Jesus did. I want to be less judgmental and more understanding, and compassionate. Loving others is easy for me, but judging others has posed a much greater struggle for me.
I struggle with passing judgements on a daily basis. It's not so much a question of judging others based on their outer appearances which I think most would equate with being judgmental. I mean, I know that in certain instances, I am quick to make a physical judgment. But that has more to do with a survival mechanism. For example, it's late at night, and as I'm waking to my car from the grocery store, I see a man in an oversized black hoodie and combat boots, hovering near the grocery cart storage and dispenser unit, which is located 200 feet away from my car. There's no denying that I will be judging him, as my sympathetic nervous system elicits the fight or flight response, and I'm ready to battle if need be.
But on a daily basis, I try my best to not judge an individual on his outer appearance because I've learned that some of the most wonderful people who may not look as well-kept, or have psychical deformities, are some of the most lovely people I have and will ever met.
As mother Teresa once said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
And as mindful as I am not to judge a person by their outer appearance, I am quick to judge a person by his actions. If i can be honest, I know there are plenty of times I've reasoned with myself that judging a person by his looks is the far worse crime, as it is a superficial offense. But I soon come to realization that I'm committing the same offense: I'm not truly looking into another's heart & seeing things from his perspective.
So what do I propose? A huge shift in perception. How often are we quick to label another as a jerk or b*tch when he is short with us? A perfect example is a moody cashier attendant at the store. We label him as a "doucher," because he treated us in poor fashion. So what do we do? We are quick to write him off, finding fault in him, when in reality we are the ones that need to be writing ourselves the reality check!!!!
Yes, he could be having a bad day, so in fairness this isn't his typical disposition. We are all entitled to off days, after all. However, it's been my experience that even if a person is having an off day, he will catch himself being moody & apologize for his lack of manners.
So in the instance of the cashier who seems so bitter, so very jaded, we need to have compassion for him.
What we fail to see as outsiders is the fact that he gets up at 4 am to go to work at the grocery store; his shift ends at 9 am & then he's off works two other jobs; and doesn't retire home until 10 p.m.. Oh and did I fail to mention he has no access to a car, so his method of transportation is the city bus? And not only that, but he is a single father, trying to make ends meet for not only himself, but his two daughters, and his own mother whose health is rapidly declining.
After hearing his situation, I don't know how a person could not sympathize & have compassion for this man who is clearly overworked, under appreciated, under loved & lacks stability in his professional life.
I recently had a similar encounter with someone I go to school with. I wrote her off originally as being a mega you know what because she was so surly, and grimaced all the time. I would try striking up conversations with her or smile at her, but she wouldn't have it. There was clearly something troubling her and I wanted to help. Luckily, one night I had a breakthrough! As class came to an end, and students were exiting the classroom, I decided to strike up a conversation again, in hopes that she would feel safe enough to confide in me. And guess what, she did!!!
Ever since that conversation, she returns my smiles & more importantly, she's willing to initiate the smiles! It's such a heartwarming feeling knowing that by extending your hand & heart to another who is suffering, you have the power to make a positive difference in his life. There's nothing more comforting than having a person in your life who wants to understand your pain and is willing to help you heal your pains. The older I get the more I believe one of the greatest gifts you can give another person is the gift of your time and willingness to understand.
It's our responsibility as human beings that we see one other through. After all, we all have the same Father which means we are brothers and sisters, deeply rooted & loved together by & in Christ.
Lord, it is my prayer that when encountering an individual who seems troubled, and is rude, we would not allow his lack of manners to dictate our mood and subsequently our manners. And instead of finding fault within him, we would recognize the fault lies within ourselves, the judgers, who need to remedy the situation by taking the time to listen to what's weighing heavy on his heart.
Love and hugs,
Megs
No comments:
Post a Comment