Have you ever judged
a book by its cover, later to realize that you were wrong? Yesterday I heard my Pastor say, “Be careful not to make a long-lasting impression from one reflection of an exchange.” The statement was so profound it stuck to me like a glove. I sat dumbfounded, for just a moment, and thought, “I have to write a poem about that.” Some words are worthier than others - to remember; and his words were more than enough to make me think again. How many times do we judge another person by what they post on social media? Could it be that we have been branded by the social dilemma? Has Twitter and Facebook decided that psychological warfare is the best kind of treasury? We now have a platform where all of our opinions and beliefs can be exposed openly. And what we post is often a twisted version of "me" - a small shadow of self that displays what I want you to see. And when we are face-to-face, what happens when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Perhaps what could have gone right, may go wrong - what happens then? Will you still be my friend? And what about the man who has a grumpy old soul, but longs for connection more than he will ever show? How will we respond when he makes an obnoxious remark? Will we hold grudge, or not? And what about the child who is angry and dying inside because she not felt love? How will we treat her? Will we be another person to throw a rock at her soul? You know, we are all just people. Filled with all kinds of thoughts and emotion. We all have bad days, sometimes; while others feel it every day. Everyone has vulnerability factors. Things that trigger us to be emotionally dys-regulated, bitter and upset. Chronic pain, lack of sleep, Arthritis and food allergies - all can lead to not feeling our best. Death and grief, high sensitivities, depression and anxiety can definitely effect the way we handle stress. Personal biases based on life experiences can cause us to hunker in. We do a great job at holding tight to our personal opinions. I am learning that that every interaction is not always about "us." In fact, we must pay attention to what is going on with "them." People are born into different families. People have different personalities. People have their own life experiences. And people identify with different ethnicities, races and languages. People see the world through different lenses. There are so many different colors, and so many different kinds of glasses. And people express themselves in so many different ways; some in writing and some face-to-face; some creative and some logical; some in pictures, some through songs; some through glances, and some through tones. People belong to different political parties for different reasons. Some are pro-choice and some are pro-life. Some fight to save the second amendment. Some approach poverty from a top-down perspective, where the government steps in for the the good of the collective. Some see color as a matter of skin, while others emphasize reverse discrimination. Some pay attention to foreign affairs, and some prefer to focus on the homeland. I ask you this, which is right, and which is wrong? We should learn to pay attention to the reasons of others, rather than projecting our own opinion. The thing is - I know I evangelize by sharing the Gospel of Christ; the truth in love. And yet, I know I must do better at not passing judgement because the Lord says we all have sinned. We all are biased even when we think we are not. In fact, I find it interesting that some smug people believe they are being totally impartial when their non-verbal communication, questions and direction is screaming they are not. Every interaction leaves an impression - even when you think you have not expressed an objection. Because even the act of not responding to an opinion or a situation says a whole lot. Communication is the exchange of information; whether it's accepted or rejected is not really the point. Communication still happens whether we agree or not. Communion is the sharing of common things; like people, places and things, interests and beliefs. When we take communion with God, we are communicating with Him that we believe Jesus is His Son. Community is when a group of living beings come together to make up a social unit. If we share space, we are part of each other, whether we like it or not. While there are so many differences that represent all of us, we must focus in on commonalities if we are going to live peaceful lives. We were all born to a mother, from her womb we did come; made from an egg and sperm, combined into one. We were all babies who could not tend for ourselves, and when we are old, it will probably be the same, will it not? We all breath oxygen, and we all have lungs; we all have a heart and a cardio-respiratory system. We all live by the breath of life; and we all return to the dust of the earth. We are all given a number of days to live as positively, patiently, peacefully and productively as we can. Some believe in a Creator and some do not, either way, we must remember that everything a person does is not always about us. Every behavior has a thought or feeling behind it. There are so many things that can get in the way of showing love; and this is probably why God commands us to forgive others. “Be careful not to make a long-lasting impression from one reflection of an exchange.” I know these words will continue to sink in deep, and I hope I can be a better person because of them.
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