“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
As I do most mornings, I leashed my dog up and headed out for a walk. It was sunny and mild- the perfect spring morning. As I was walking, I took notice of a police car heading in my direction, which I perceived to be going faster than the speed limit.
I immediately defaulted to judging- thinking negative thoughts about him, based on nothing more than the thought that he *may* have been going slightly faster than usual, with no other cars in sight.
I continued walking and began to cross the street. I glanced behind me and noticed the cop car had turned around and was driving towards me on my side of the street. I crossed the street and kept walking. The cop pulled up beside me and motioned for me to come to his car.
Great! Immediately my mind wandered to the millions of things he could be stopping me for- and not one of those thoughts was a positive one.
God ever so gently showed me the err of my ways as I saw the cop extend his hand of grace to me-
“Here you go!” The cop smiled and handed me a larger than normal dog biscuit. “I just wanted you to have this. Hope you have a great day!”
And in that instant I realized how guilty I was- of judging him, of thinking he was not there to help me- but to reprimand me for something. Honestly- I didn’t even know if he had been going above the speed limit, but in my split-second judgement of him, I had already sized him up- stereotyped him as someone who thought he was “above the law”, looking to pull someone over.
But God wants us to see others through His eyes of Love and Grace. Apart from Him, I fail miserably at doing this. Instead of thinking the worst about someone, we need to put our hope in Him always and expect Him to show us the good in others.
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:12
And as far as I have come on this walk with Him- in His wonderful, loving way- He shows me just how much further I have to go.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18
Loving can be hard to do. A reminder for myself, as well…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your encouraging words :).
LikeLike
Beautiful story, cute dog. Both made me smile.
http://www.talkingtomyweightlosscounselor.wordpress.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Deborah! My boy Remy always makes me smile! He was so happy to get that treat from the cop!! Blessings to you!
LikeLike
Lovely post with your adorable pup. A message to make all of us think the best of people. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment :). Many blessings to you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re very welcome, Julie. It was my pleasure. Blessings.
LikeLike
I love this. Everyone needs to remember that not all cops are bad – not all people have evil intentions – sometimes life gives us dog biscuits when we don’t deserve them. Your dog is adorable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh- I love that- “sometimes life gives us dig biscuits when we don’t deserve them”…great point!! Hope you have had a wonderful weekend!!
LikeLike
I am trying to extend grace everyday because I sure want others to do it for me as I find my new path in life as a single woman finding her way with my family fractured.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen, Alesia!! We all need to give grace to others. We never know the challenges some people face behind closed doors. My parents separated and divorced when I was 16, and it deeply affected all of us…it is never easy- but He is with you and His grace will get you through!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes. My kids were 16 and18 when their dad walked out on us. Things are better in the sense we all get along, but our sons have been impacted so much. My youngest has always stayed by me through it all. Now he is off to college! Very proud of him with straight A s!
LikeLike
Happy dog! 😊
Hi Julie, thanks for visiting my blog today. I thought what a “coincidence” that the verse feed I got today is Zephaniah 3:17, and I remembered how well you sing.
Zephaniah 3:17
“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (NIV)
Be blessed, sister. Be blessed by the Mighty God who rejoices over you with singing. 🐩
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your sweet words! I truly believe there are no coincidences! That is one of my favorite verses :). He reminds me that these gifts are from Him, and for Him alone…isn’t that a beautiful thought that He is singing over us!? Blessings to you as well 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was a great post to read. I can be very judgmental of people …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much :). I think we all can be that way…I caught myself thinking those negative thoughts, and thankfully He gave me a great lesson on grace :). Without His grace- I would have no grace of my own to give!
LikeLike