About fifty years ago, a preacher was riding a train, studying for his Sunday sermon. Across the aisle from him, a two-year-old girl was being obnoxiously loud, throwing a temper tantrum, and crying. Finally, in his frustration, the preacher said to the woman with the baby, “Madam, please control your child.â€
“She’s not my child, sir,†the woman answered.
“Well, is her mother on board?â€
“Yes. She’s on board,†answered the woman. “She’s in the next car, in the cargo department—in a casket.â€
Feeling totally humiliated, the preacher spent the rest of the journey tending the crying baby as best he could.
I found that little story while preparing for my lesson tomorrow. Isn’t it so true? How often am I guilty of judging the actions of another without learning about or recognizing the cause?
Susan says
I think we are all guilty of judging someone before learning what is going on.