Shift Your PerspectiveSample

Have you ever unfairly judged someone? Maybe it was their hairstyle, the clothes they were wearing, the people they were with, some of the life choices they were making, or the language they spoke. You knew it was wrong, but you just couldn't help it. The Lord taught me a powerful lesson about judging others and today I am going to share that with you.

Several years ago, there was a traumatic event: a shooting at a school where many people lost their lives. It was a horrible time in our history, but what came from it was a beautiful wave of generosity, strangers helping strangers. I believe the movement was called "Random Acts of Kindness" and we saw it sweep across the country in record numbers. My kids and I wanted to participate.

We prayed about how we could bless others and share kindness. There were 26 people killed that horrible day, so we decided we were going to randomly bless 26 people. We went to the bank and got 26 $50 bills. We put each one in an envelope with a little card that said: "God loves you". We divided them up and each of us was responsible to give our envelopes to random strangers.

Every Friday we would sit down, have dinner together, and discuss how we gave our envelopes away. It was a really interesting and fun experience. My kids always wanted to see the reactions of the people that they gave them to. They would find a person on the street to hand it to or do something dramatic. I was the opposite. I did not want to see reactions. It made me super uncomfortable, so I would leave my envelope in a bathroom stall or go through the phone book and just pick out a person's name and mail it to them.

This taught my kids an incredibly valuable lesson on kindness and giving, but what I learned was even more valuable. One night my husband and I went on a date. It didn't happen very often with as many kids as we had, so I was excited. I got all dressed up and we went to this nice restaurant. On the way, the Lord touched my heart, and I knew I was supposed to leave my server an envelope. We would pay our bill and leave our normal tip; this would be on top of the typical tip.

I was anxious to see who our server would be, and let me tell you, she was not at all who I expected. We literally had the worst service we've ever had. She never checked on us, she didn't refill our waters, she wasn't well-dressed. She was a bit vulgar and rude. When she did talk to us, she just went on and on about all this drama in her life. I decided I was not going to leave the money. I must have heard wrong. This wasn't what God intended.

So we paid the bill, left her a tip, even though she was not a good server, and I went to get up, and couldn't move. I was literally frozen in the booth. I knew instantly it was because I was wrong and that this young woman was supposed to get my envelope. I reluctantly took it out of my purse, set it on the table, and left as quickly as I could. When I got home that night, I prayed and asked, "God, why would you have me leave this money for her? Why someone like that? Why not someone who deserves it?"

Thinking back on those words is so shameful to me. I cannot believe I felt that way. In that moment, the Lord humbled me more than I had ever been humbled in my entire life. He said, "Do you think you deserve anything that you have?" He continued, "All fall short of my glory. All have sinned. There is no one worthy. There is no one good." He was absolutely right. Who was I to think I was deserving but this girl wasn't? Jesus died for all of us.

God wanted that young lady to know she was loved. He wanted her to know she was valuable and chosen and that she was called to be His child. My pride and judgment almost got in the way. Although challenging, it was a powerful lesson about judgment. As much as I would love to say that I have never judged anyone again, that's just not true. However, my eyes have been opened to how God views people, and how much He loves them. He loves His children so much. He loves you so much! It is not my place to think that I am better, more deserving, or more valuable than any of His other children.

I encourage you to pray and ask your loving Father to open your eyes so you can see His precious children the way He does. Trust me, this helps when you are going through a situation and you are tempted to judge someone's actions, behavior, looks, or words. Imagine Jesus walking with them, holding their hand. It will open your eyes to a whole new way of being kind.

Now go let your light shine.