Have you ever wondered why people are so nosy? I have.
You know who I'm talking about. The people you see out in public that you've never met, nor will you probably run into them again. They have all kinds of advice for you. Mainly unwanted advice.
Take the older gentleman that was watching Owen and I come into the grocery store and pick out a cart. He actually stopped in his tracks and stared at us as Owen tried to negotiate with me that he could climb in the cart himself. Clearly it was an unsafe maneuver. But this older gentleman says to me, "Oh, just let him do it himself, he's a big boy!" It's times like that that I would love it if I could have come up with a quicker reaction such as, "Excuse me sir, I am his mother and I can handle my own son." And Owen wasn't even throwing a fit like "The Walmart boy." I'm sure you heard that story.... More than likely, this gentleman was just trying to be nice, but at the time I was not able to take his "friendly" advice.
Another time I can remember is when I was pregnant with Faye. I was working in a dental office and I found it quite annoying that pateints of mine felt close enough to me to go ahead and touch my pregnant belly without even asking. Hello! That is still my skin!
My dear sister in law has four very sweet boys. She is truly blessed to have such a legacy. But of course she gets asked all the time, "Are those ALL yours?" or even better, "Boy, you sure have your hands full!" Yes, she does have her hands full training the next generation!
But what bothers me the most is as I consider my experiences and wishful thinking of how I "could have" responded, I see my own judgmental heart. I see my heart that so easily compares my life up against someone else and not up against the truth of God's word alone. Much of life is going to be a different walk than even our closest friends, and even more with strangers. We may not even understand the path that God takes another down, let alone our own.
It's a humbling thought to ponder.
James 4:12b "So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?"
1 comment:
This makes me think of Jesus talking to Peter in the last chapter of John...(John 21:20-22)
"Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
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