Our youngest son had a rough time on the bus the other day. He came home frustrated and upset because another kid pushed him out of the seat and was calling him names. Naturally, our parental instincts kicked into high gear and we immediately went into defensive mode, wondering why such delinquents are not banished from our schools and what could be done to shelter our child from this future felon. Then my son said something that changed our whole perspective and tone of the conversation. He said, "The kid didn't used to be that way, but his mom died."
It's amazing how a little knowledge can unlock a wave of compassion and understanding.
As much as we want to make quick and simple judgments about everyone and everything, life in this world and the people around us are just too complex for that. We categorize, label, and define others by what we see, but we often do so without knowledge. In our admittedly correct observation that some behaviors are wrong and destructive, we lose all sense of grace and compassion for the person behind the action. In our defensiveness, we become blind to the hurt and brokenness that has shaped the one who offended us. Our casual and easy judgments deny our inability to truly know someones story, their pain, or their heart. At the same time, and what may be our greatest motivation, our careless condemnation of those around us masks our own brokenness, dysfunction, and desperate need for grace.
They say a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and we've all seen cases that seem to prove the point. But when it comes to the realm of passing judgment, it seems like a little knowledge can be a good thing. A little information changed my perception of a kid on the bus from an abusive punk to a hurt, grieving little boy in need of love and understanding. A little knowledge makes me aware once again that I don't have the knowledge necessary to be the judge of the world.
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2 comments:
Thanks Doug, well said. I believe that within so many that are "future felons" and bullies is that dark pain and insecurity that only God's love and healing mercy can change. We tend to forget that. I know I do. We tend to choose whom to share His love with, His grace with and His mercy with. Shame on me.
Good words Doug! It is so easy to slip on that robe of judgment and step outside the realm of grace and compassion.
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