Jumping to conclusions…
The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 (b) NIV
Don’t judge other people, and you will not be judged. You will be judged in the same way that you judge others. And the forgiveness you give to others will be given to you Matthew 7:1-2 ICB
Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them. Epictetus
Several months ago, I was in my rather cluttered garage in the low light of evening and thought that I saw a dead mouse on the cement near a cabinet. Ughhh. When I think of mice, I think of mouse poop and pee as well as ruined, chewed up items. Not to mention disease. Yet, on closer inspection, I had to laugh out loud because I had jumped to the wrong conclusion! It was NOT a mouse but a small plastic toy dinosaur on its side on the garage floor first viewed in dim lighting.
The experience made me think of another time that I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. I had gone to a coffee shop for an outing with a friend. Now, this was years ago when tattoos and piercings were uncommon and not socially accepted…and often equated only with gang members and drug addicts. My friend and I sat down not too far from two guys covered in tattoos and body piercings and wearing heavy decorative chains as well as saggy unkempt clothes. Though I didn’t say it out loud, my jump-to-conclusion judgmental little mind was quite busy as I looked at these two men.
Without attempting to eavesdrop, I could still overhear bits of their conversation. It dawned on me that these two men were deep into a Bible study and talking about how they could grow to be more like Jesus, exemplifying love and compassion. Ouch! God was reminding me that what we “see” is not always what it seems like or really is. In fact, God always looks past the outward appearance to the heart of a person.
Human beings struggle with judging others as our simple minds attempt to pigeon hole people and ideas based on incomplete information. One has only to look at human history and the current world to see how all peoples succumb to the temptation to judge based on unreliable outer appearances and conditions. Color. Religion. Size and shape. Gender. Intellectual abilities. Wealth. Status. Beauty. Power. Age. So many different things…
How can we mitigate our natural tendency to judge? First and foremost, remind ourselves to try to be like our heavenly Father who looks at the heart rather than outward appearances. Also stay versed in Scripture, which is clear that judgment belongs to God, not us. Likewise, it helps to recall when we have personally been unfairly judged. Most of the time, we will find that there’s more to the person, circumstance, or place than we really comprehend on the surface. Finally, God could fairly choose to judge us for our many wrongs (sin) yet Jesus chose to love us enough to be a bridge to holiness for us. That’s our example!
So when you are tempted to judge, stop a moment and think about the circumstances. Are you jumping to conclusions or allowing minor “infractions” to keep you from seeing someone as a child of God as much as you are? Whenever possible and safe, choose to think the best and act accordingly.
