A Note for You and Me

 

 

If you could see the way I see

Wouldn’t you think the way I think?

And if you could feel the way I do

Would you not sink the way I sink?

 

Probably so and probably not

Seeing we are wired differently,

Hence the caution we should heed

When appraising judgmentally.

 

We are quick to grab the big stick

To be the jury and the judge

And the sentence we wish for another

Is akin to settling a grudge.

 

We quote the Bible extensively

Highlighting the old covenant law

Yet when we are in the same predicament

We regard that judgment flawed.

 

We live in momentous times

As a friend of mine would say

And it would behoove us, he would add,

To understand another’s way.

 

Understanding is not condoning

But an appreciation for the facts

And a realization that words are damaging

And can never be taken back.

 

Sometimes though we see alike

There are still many discrepancies

And these sometimes, subtle differences

Distinguish you from me.

 

Some have had a horrendous life

Not nearly the kind that we have had

And though this does not give them license,

There are reasons why they are bad.

 

I thank God for my upbringing

And for the parents that I have had,

That upbringing has made the difference

Hence, thank you Mum and Dad!

 

Many have not been as fortunate

To have had a similar past

And the experiences they have experienced

Would leave us all aghast.

 

Each one of us is a product

Of the many experiences we have had

And the lessons we learnt or did not learn

Will augur for good or bad.

 

Again I will quote my friend

That we live in momentous times

And it behooves us who can godly think

To spiritually train our minds.

 

 

There will be many a behaviour

That will be difficult to understand

But final judgment must be left to God

For that is His determined plan.

 

Help where we can with understanding

Using both reprimand and praise

And appreciating our own shortcomings

Always our own standards raise.

 

Cognizant of the reality check

That "there go I but for the grace of God"

And for whatever good may be found in us

It is God we must applaud.

 

Stewart Russell © January 2020