Last night my son brought a friend home. She was a young girl that my family was meeting for the first time. She came and my son asked me for some food for her to eat. She had told him before arriving that she was hungry. In my head, I heard hospitality, hospitality (repeated word intended). So I gave her some dinner of rice and chicken. I thought to myself, well she is very bold. I thought perhaps she would allow us to convince her to take something to eat. You know, pretend she isn't hungry and then accept our offer graciously.
When my sister came home, I told her of our guest and what I thought. I am ashamed of it now, because I planted the seed of judgement when that was not what I heard. Where was the hospitable charity? Yes, I gave her things but my heart was not in the right place. In my giving, I was judging. In myself I knew that was wrong before the Holy Spirit checked me on it.
In continuing the germination of a bad seed, my sister told my other sister and they both made judgements about this girl of whom we knew nothing but her first name. I looked at them and I was ashamed. I then said to them, what is wrong if she has no fear of us. What is wrong if she is not acting all shy and coy? Maybe someone is saying the same thing about me. For anyone who knows me, I am able to fit in with most people, starting conversations with strangers and making myself happy no matter where I am. Of course my sisters were like "oh no, she is prime. No fear...." Our eyes saw what we wanted. I saw my wrong and they saw someone they considered a bad influence for my son.
God has his own way of correcting us when we stray off course. After I drove her home, my son told me that she spoke to him about God. In fact, she continued a conversation I had started with him last week - why does God get all the credit for everything good in our house? She wanted him to attend church with her - a youth group she attended with her friend. He said she was searching for God and also encouraging him to do the same. Wow. I smiled inside because I knew God was speaking to me and confirming what he already started in me. I told my sister and she was surprized. She was shocked and asked repeatedly, "she goes to church?" Yes. She does.
As if I needed anything else, a song I never heard before played on the cd that I recently bought. It was called "If we had your eyes" song by Michelle Williams. The lyrics was like the full stop to the lesson God's spirit was teaching me and led me to repentance:
People judge from what they see
But Lord you see the heart
If we had Your eyes
We’d see things right
If we could just see from Your point view
Then most things won’t be as they seem
If we had Your eyes
If we had Your eyes
I share with you because maybe you have been quick to sum something or someone up based on what you see. However, I urge you to ask God to give you his eyes so we can see things as they really are and not as they seem.
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