When you saw the lady riding the motorized shopping cart at Wal-Mart did you think disgustedly to yourself that there are just too many fat people in America? Or maybe you laughed quietly with your friend whispering 'poor lady she's so fat!' ---- I'm sure it wouldn't enter your mind that she's a caring grandmother with back problems, who raised several children and kept the house neat. A woman who loved to be active and often dance a samba or two.
As you were walking down the street did you pass by that rebellious girl with the short bleached hair, piercings, and tattoos? Or maybe that buff guy with the weird-looking clothes? ---- Wouldn't you be surprised to find that she's a loving mom who's friendly and pretty dang funny. Oh and that buff guy, he recently changed his whole entire life to follow Jesus Christ, and decided to give up two years to serve others and his God.
During your latest chat with a friend did you hear about what that lady across town did? What a tragedy! ---- Instead of putting her on your sympathy list, why don't you try being a real friend.
Sunday rolls around and you find yourself at church again, and there's that scandalous mom with the dress that's just always waaaay too short. And the kid who never comes walked passed you in the hall, and you know he only came because this week they're serving food after the meetings. ---- Well if you took the time you'd learn that the mom has been through a terrible divorce, and desperately loves her children, the youngest of which just had surgery, and despite all that she feels the need, and loves the opportunity, to worship her Savior each week. Oh, and that kid, really only ever wanted help and a friend.
Maybe you arrive home and notice your weird neighbors outside again. There's the Mexican family to the right and the single teenage mom's calling in Spanish for her little boy to come inside. The neighbors to your left are just getting back from a family bike ride and you swear for the billionth time that the husband's got to be tons older than the wife. ---- Little did you know, the young mother was left hurt, alone, and heartbroken to raise her child at her mom's house and recently found love and peace through her new church.. finally. And the father of the family on the left has in reality been fighting cancer for years, and the toll it's taken on his body has unfortunately begun to show.
All of these people I have just mentioned are real. Each of them has a name and a story! I have personally met them! At school, at work, on the other side of the world! and these are only a few of the thousands of people all around us every day who are people with feelings just like me and you who are trying to do the best they can in the circumstances they have been given.
Every person, no matter what they look like, no matter what they have done or what they believe, is a child of God. And that's not speaking figuratively or metaphorically or comparatively, but literally. And He loves us so much that He gave us his favorite son, His perfect son, Jesus Christ. And our brother came to save us all. Not just those of us who look pretty or talk pretty, but everyone! We're all the same, and we have to allow every person that benefit of the doubt, that opportunity to turn to Christ and use that atonement He gave to us! because if we don't we're only denying ourselves of the very same thing.... because in reality each person is in the same boat as the next. We are all imperfect beings here on this little tiny planet who desperately need their Redeemer. Like it says in Mosiah chapter 4 starting in verse 19:
"For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend on the same Being even God for all the substance which we have...... and for all the riches which we have of every kind? And behold even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy...... And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to your for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done."
I love my God! And I love that my eyes have been opened, that I no longer have to have an opinion of someone after just one glance.There are only two kinds of people in life: the ones you love, and the ones you don't understand. If you don't understand somebody, try loving them, and if you don't love someone, try understanding them. I aspire to be more like my Savior, and have come to realize how simple that really is. Christ spelled it out for us when he gave us the two greatest commandments:
Love God
Love Others.
