Have you ever met someone and immediately had a bad feeling about that person, how do you treat this person? Do you tend to judge someone by their appearance or how they present themselves in public? Now look back over your life, have you ALWAYS been a person worthy of being treated well? Are you a person that has never made a mistake or been bound by sin? I met a young man today in front of a local grocery store, at 1st glance he was either drunk or on some type of drug. When I approached the store he greeted me, I smiled and said, "Hello" then he followed me into the store. He told me his name was Michael and as I shopped, he walked side by side with me making jokes and talking really loud but, before I became impatient and reported him to the store employees, I took a really good look at him. Michael wasn't trying to harm me, he was just lost. My mind began to wander and think about what if this was my son, how would I want a stranger to treat him? I choked up when I thought of the hurt that this young man must have been carrying around that seemingly the only person he could talk to was a stranger. I stayed in the store longer than I would have and asked Michael about his family, he told me that his dad would drop him off at the store and would come pick him up when he called him for a ride. What I found out was that Michael was neither drunk nor on drugs but, had a mental disability that effected his speech, motor skills, and decision making. When I began to check out Michael called his dad for him to come pick him up and when I exited the store, his dad was right there waiting for him. I learned a lot from Michael today, what if I prejudged him and called the store security on him, would he lose his love and innocence for people and stop being himself? Would rejection cause him to be down on himself and would he just stay in the house and never associate with the outside world? Spending time with Michael humbled me, I thanked God for a sound-mind, for the ability to articulate myself when I need to. We have to be careful to not be so quick to judge someone because they are different than us, because they are going through something that we know nothing about, or because they are caught in sin. Who are we to judge? Michael may not be a college graduate, or have the ability to carry on a great conversation but, Michael had laughter; he had peace. Tonight when I say my prayers, I will pray for my Michael and I will also thank God for gracing me with Michael's presence. In that short time I learned a lot from him, when I walked outside and saw his father waiting on him; it reminded me of our relationship with God. God doesn't hold us back because of our disabilities, he takes us where we need to go and he allows us to be free to be ourselves but, when we need him and we call him...he is always right there.
Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor, Therefore love is the fulfillment to the law.
If you are not sure of your relationship with Christ or would like to speak with me directly regarding building a relationship with Christ, Please contact me. The best choice you can make in life is accepting Jesus Christ as your Personal Savior. ~Lady Melissa E. West
No comments:
Post a Comment