July 11, 2013 (Thursday)
“Patiently put up with each other and love each other” (Ephesians 4:2)
I recently saw a Ken Burns special about Lewis and Clark and their expedition to find a way through the wilderness to the Pacific Ocean, following the Missouri River. They already knew that their last major obstacle would be the mountains of the west. They assumed that those mountains would be much like the mountains of Virginia, which were very familiar to them. Boy, were they surprised when they finally came to a mountain range towering four miles into the sky.
We tend to make the same mistake concerning the experiences of other people. “If I could handle it,” we say, “they can, too.” (We know mountains; we’re from Virginia). “So, quit your complaining and carry on; if I could do it, you can, too.”
I’m waiting for the gong or the sound of a loud buzzer, and a loud voice: “WRONG!” We have never had the same experience that our brothers and sisters are having. We may think we have, but we have not. Every person is unique and every experience too.
Devotional Thought: Let
us heed the words of Jesus, remembering the Native American prayer, “Great Spirit, help me never to judge another until I have walked in his moccasins.” A similar quotation may sound familiar to you: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” spoken by Atticus Finch (“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee). And, along the same lines, ever hear this? “If you can’t say something nice about a person, don’t say anything at all.” I hear the words of Jesus, “Judge not lest you be judged” (Matthew 7:1).