James 2:12-13
Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged by the Rule that sets us free. For if you refuse to act kindly, you can hardly expect to be treated kindly. Kind mercy wins over harsh judgment every time.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
While my husband and I were taking Timothy home to Texas one recent Sunday, he announced that he needed to use the restroom. We were driving down the Interstate at the time - with no exit in sight. When my husband did find an exit, there was what appeared to be a residential neighborhood on one side of the Interstate, and a high school campus on the other. My husband decided to take a chance that someone would be at the high school. Miraculously, there were several cars in the parking lot. Football coaches were apparently viewing game films in preparation for future scrimmages. I opened the door to the building, and a coach came out of his meeting to see if he could help us.
I cannot tell you how gracious these coaches were to a woman with a 3-year-old in desperate need of a restroom. I have to believe they had “been there, done that” in some manner with their own children. They did not judge us in the least, but generously directed us to a restroom down the hallway. These men didn’t know me. They could have easily refused to allow us to enter their building… or they could have stood guard over us as if we were not to be trusted. But they did neither of these things. They treated Timothy and me as they would want their own wives and children to be treated… with respect and kindness.
Now I will admit, it would be hard to refuse a cute kid like Timothy. But when we got back in the car, my husband said, “Had the door been locked, I was prepared to start knocking on doors in that neighborhood on the other side of the Interstate.” How do you suppose someone would have reacted if a strange woman with a toddler had knocked on their door and asked to use the restroom? How would YOU react? I think we would be understandably skeptical, particularly if we lived near an Interstate highway outside of Dallas, Texas! But I have to believe that someone would have tried to help us… and that I would do the same in a similar situation.
Still, this illustrates on a somewhat larger scale how we treat others every day… and how we should treat them. Often we don’t know the full circumstances of another person’s life. We don’t have a clue what placed them in our path on any given day. And really, the circumstances don’t matter. What matters is that God brings people and situations into our lives every day and watches to see how we will handle them. And we can hardly expect Him to be gracious and merciful toward us if we have not done so in our own lives!
My challenge for all of us is to operate a little more in love and kindness… and a lot less in judgment and arrogance. Look at the other guy and remind yourself, “He/she is every bit as precious and important to God as I am. What would God want me to do in this situation?” Offer the love, grace and mercy of Jesus to those you encounter. If you don’t, you can hardly be surprised if/when others judge you unfairly. Give as good as you get – or better! Operate by “the Rule that sets us free,” and leave the judgment to God - where it belongs!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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