“I’ve seen more _________ attack me for my decision to _________ than ask me why.”
I read this in a news story yesterday. What goes in the blanks?
birds / attempt flying
elves / take down the Christmas lights
fashion stylists / combine argyle with paisley
I’ll leave you hanging, because it doesn’t really matter. Regardless of what goes in the blanks, this is worth thinking about. I bet that all of us could empathize with this experience. I’ve certainly been judged by people who didn’t understand. It hurt when they didn’t come to me and ask me about it when they had every opportunity to do so.
We would do well to keep that feeling in mind when we are on the other side of the experience. Let’s be sure to understand what we criticize. If we don’t have the opportunity to understand, let’s avoid judgment. Isn’t that how we would like to be treated?
I talk often about living thoughtfully — being thoughtful about the issues, thoughtful about our words and actions, and thoughtful about each other. It just makes life better — for all of us.
Your post made me think of Jesus. This morning I read in one of His parables that even God shows people this kind of respect. In a friendly way God gives people the chance to explain themselves before He makes any judgment about what they’ve done. That’s really good to know! (Matthew 22:1-13)
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