There are people who have tattoos, piercings, or who dress immodestly. Or perhaps the actions of some may be of concern--smoking, drinking, or other inappropriate actions. Even though our standards may be different, it is not our place to judge, as we do not know anyone's full story. We do not know anyone else's trials, their upbringing, their level of understanding, what their journey has been, or especially what their mission on earth is that they were sent here to complete.
A quote I read today states:
"Recognize the good in others, not their stains. At times a stain needs appropriate attention to be cleansed, but always build on his or her virtues."In other words: LOOK for the GOOD in others. See what you can that is right with their lives and focus on that instead of the negative.
—Richard G. Scott
And this thought is perfect:
There are many good people who may not look the part. The opposite is also true. But, I know that the Lord can see beyond our outward facade and knows our hearts, our intentions, our thoughts and desires. Everyone can change; we need to allow change for others and ourselves.
All of us can learn to accept and love others just the way they are. That will open windows and doors not only for them to perhaps be inspired to better themselves, but it will also create and allow for changes within ourselves. Try to see others the way God sees each of us. We are ALL children of God, even if some of us are a bit like the rebellious child at times. We're all in this together, so we need to help build each other up and truly love others. Being a Christian means acting as Christ would--and I am sure he would be found among those who outwardly we may not expect.
© Wendy 2013
I totally agree with you, Wendy! There are many good of different faiths or are even atheist. I feel like if we cut ourselves off from people who look and act differently, how can we ever hope to share the gospel with anyone? Or how can we buoy each other up as Christians in the face of such opposition?
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of talk about this subject lately and while some are taking a hard line with those their children interact with, I believe that we are doing our children a disservice by shielding and protecting them completely from those who are different from them. I believe we would be much better off to teaching them to be in the world, but not of the world. If we don't, then they will be more vulnerable the things the world teaches.
It's so true. It saddens me when I hear of kids who can't play with another kid because of different beliefs. It's crazy. All of my friends growing up were from different backgrounds/religions and they were all good kids. I didn't always do everything they did, and they respected that, as I respected them.
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