I had the pleasure to lead worship today at our church, as I often do. With it being the first Sunday in December, we intermixed Christmas songs with a few of our normal songs.
One of the many things I love about God, is how He is in the details....even in details that don't seem to be of much importance at all. But, you see, they end up being important when they point us to Him.
Today was one of those times.
I picked the songs earlier that week, not really knowing how much I would need them today. But even more...I needed the message that came through those lyrics and through the mouth of the pastor.
But God knew.
The pastor today was a guest speaker. And his particular message was such a needed reminder that sunk deep within. He spoke out of Matthew 7- the passage from the Sermon of the Mount where Jesus talks about not judging others.
Often times, that passage is taken way out of context. We are to "judge" others- but not in the way that we attribute "judgement". Yes, we are told to call people out when they are walking down a path that leads to destruction (as well as correct our own flaws!). But we are to do it like Jesus- not in an "I'm better than you" type mentality, but rather through the lens of compassion.
Everyone has a story. And most of the time, we don't know the half of it.
In this day and age, everyone seems to be so quick to look for the differences and bad choices in people and then solidify their identity in that.
But what if we looked at people....through a different lens??
What if, when we encounter someone, we first think "I wonder what their story is?" And then proceed to treat them with a heart filled with compassion?
What if, instead of cursing out the person who just cut you off, or mentally berating the person in the checkout line who is taking forever, or intentionally avoiding that person that drives you crazy....what if we assume that they've had a rough go of it first? Would that change the way we view them?
Everyone has bad days. Some have horrific ones. What if, the times that you encounter abrasive people, are one of those days for them?
You see....when we hear someone's story, we instinctively emit more compassion (well most of us anyway). It's our human nature. We are wired that way. And so we just need to get back to the basics!
So this holiday season, when we are all naturally feeling a little more generous, let's practice that. Let's put on the lens of compassion and you know what? The impact that it could have could change the world :)
