Romans 12:20 Don't judge and you will not be judged
The Toyota truck pulled directly in front of us as we drove down the freeway. As
I looked at the pile of waste in the bed of the truck, I thought, "What a pile
of junk that is!" There were bent and broken bicycles galore and assorted other
metal items which I could not distinguish . I thought, where in the world did
that driver get all that stuff and what would he ever do with it? I was just
hoping nothing would fall out of the back of the truck onto the hood of our car
!
I concluded the driver of the truck was a junk dealer and would be selling it to
someone for scrap metal. I then asked my husband what he thought would be done
with those ruined and useless bikes. His answer put a entirely new perspective
on the situation. He said perhaps the driver would repair those bikes and
distribute them to underprivileged children, or perhaps the driver was an artist
and would use the metal scraps for unusual and beautiful sculptures.
I thought about how I had jumped to one conclusion about the future use of that
"stuff" in the truck, while my husband had an entirely different perspective
about the situation .
Do I look at people in the same way I looked at the debris in the truck? If
someone's life is loaded down with things that I deem worthless, such as strange
clothing, weird hairdo's, an excess amount of time spent on their home or other
inanimate objects, or perhaps more jewelry than any one person could possibly
wear, do I decided these folks are ready for the spiritual junk pile simply
because looks can be deceiving? I am afraid I realized today that this is too
close to the truth to suit me. God, forgive me for drawing wrong conclusions so
many times. Help me to remember Jimmie's reply about the junk on the truck. He
saw positive possibilities in that truck before us, and I would like to have
that attitude about people. I cannot do it unless the Holy Spirit empowers
me.How about you?
Marion Smith: noles65@aol.com
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