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You Never Know -- A Lesson From on Judgements

As I write this we are experiencing Blizzard Jonas, the blizzard of 2016, in which we are expecting anywhere between 12-30 inches with wind gusts up to 65 mph.  Well, we found out that different agencies needed clothing and canned foods.  We had some in the house, so we traveled into DC before the road restrictions took place and receive a $972,463 fine to donate.  My youngest and I walked into Central Union Mission to donate.  As I filled out the donation receipt, an African American man walked in and asked for a free sandwich.  The attendant gave him one without any reservation.  When I really took notice of this man, he looked like all was stable.  He had on a long, black trench coat, was decently shaven, slacks, decent shoes, and a black bag with him.  He left out and I was struck with a 'wow' moment.  Here's why.


 The day before, I had on a very similar outfit.  I wore a long black trench coat with a black derby, khakis and carried my black bag.  If you put us side by side, there would not be that much difference...from the outside.  For that matter, we may not have been that different on the inside as well.  This man may or may not have been homeless.  He may have come in simply to get a sandwich because he didn't want to pay for one at the time.  Or maybe he didn't have enough money to go the Subway shop around the corner.  Maybe he was very tight on finances or saving for something else and knew how to manage his funds. Or maybe he was cool with money, but knew they gave out sandwiches and took advantage of the free food.  Or maybe, he was looking for a job.  Maybe he was getting a free sandwich for someone he saw who needed some food and he was being a Samaritan.  Or maybe...Or maybe...

 I am so guilty of being around certain people and having the instantaneous mindset they they are well off because of where they live or the job they have or by simply how ...they...look.

Brandon Heath, a recording artist penned these words in his song 'Give Me Your Eyes':

 Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, he's buyin' time

All those people goin' somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Dads, teach your children not to judge a book by it's cover.  There's so much more to a man or woman than what we often see.  I'm seeing more and more that a gargantuan house, nice cars, or a prominent job really means nothing in the grand scheme of things.  It's what makes the man.

 I will say that it felt good to serve someone else with my son.  We may never know who we helped and that's okay.  My son needed to see that.  I needed to see that.  I needed to feel that.  I have No Off Season.

 In your NOS training, consider these questions:

  • In your heart of hearts, do you cast judgements on people?
  • If so, how do your children respond/ relate to your judgements?  In other words, do they follow your lead?
  • How and what will you teach your children on putting more value on the inside of a person than what we see?




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