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