things are not always as they seem

My sister recently sent me the link to this great video on youtube.  Go ahead and click on it.  We’ve got time :).

I laughed pretty hard the first time I saw this.  Comedic genius is often at its best when people walk into the middle of a confusing and awkward situation (some of my favorite shows and movies are full of them) – but the underlying message woven through these commercials has caused me to pause and reflect.

I have been learning, very acutely at times, that things are not always as they seem.  It is entirely too easy to pass quick judgments and then realize later the initial assessment was highly mis-informed, or just plain wrong because of the inability to see the whole picture.

People are complex beings that have varied diverse stories.  There are real reasons why people do the things they do and find themselves in their current life situations.  Sure to an outsider it seems logical if they would have only connected the dots from A to B they would have gotten to C – but if you’ve ever been the object of a snap judgment you know that connecting the dots in the right order isn’t the half of it.

I’ve tasted some humble pie in the last couple years and it has taught me to take a moments pause before I am too quick to judge.  Do I want to be wise?  Yes.  Discerning?  Absolutely.  But I also want to be human and recognize that I don’t know the entirety of someone’s story and therefore might be a bit jaded.

Life’s entirely too short . . .

Luke 6:37-38a (The Message) 
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing.”