Acts 28: 3-4 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging form his hand they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”
It is amazing how quickly we may judge someone by what we see without knowing all we need to know Ladies. We need to be careful that we are not making rash judgments about others without really knowing the truth. More often than not we probably don’t know the whole story behind what we are seeing. That other lady that you think looks like she has it all together is probably struggling with some of the same frustrations and insecurities that you are facing. We all have our battles!
Have you ever been on the other end of that scrutiny? One minute you think everything is going along fine and the next minute you find out that they have the total wrong opinion of you and have judged you based on that. I remember many years ago I was a part of a multi level marketing company and some of the women seemed to have a problem with me and one even went so far as to make a few comments about my being dressed “so perfect” head to toe. Well, one day down the road after I left the dangerous situation my children and I were living in with my controlling husband who bought all of my clothes and made sure I looked “perfect” all the time, I explained to her what the real story was behind it all. She was horrified to think that she thought I was trying to impress the men in the group by looking so perfect and she had totally missed the story behind the story. She couldn’t have known what the real story was so I wasn’t angry with her for it but it gave me a whole different perspective on judging things and people by the way they appear.
The funny thing is, have you ever thought about how quickly their opinion can change as well? When you read on in verses 5-6 you see; He however shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. Wow, one minute you are a murderer and the next a god, have you ever felt that way?
Don’t allow others misunderstandings of who you are affect you. Know who you are in Christ! People’s opinions will always change and it isn’t their opinion that really matters in the end. Do what you are called to do, don’t wait for others to approve. Ask God for His wisdom and direction and plow forward Girl not letting what others may think hinder what you are called to do! God loves you and He knows who and what you are, He will shed light on it all and will reveal the truth in His time. Allow Him to be your strength in all you do not the opinions of others!
Quote: “Your past is important because it brought you to where you are, but as important as your past is, it is not nearly as important as the way you see your future.” Dr. Tony Campolo
There was a story on the radio recently where this lady was in line in a grocery store and was judging the woman in front of her for buying all canned and pre-packaged products. She was thinking ‘hasnt this lady heard of fresh fruit? her poor kids must have a terrible diet. ‘ and then she heard the cashier greet the woman and ask if she was sending all the food to the troops overseas today and the lady said she was going to send some now and some next week. so the woman who was listening learned not to judge someone by their grocery cart! you never know the whole story!