As Jake and I walked home this morning after a very wet weekend I noticed the following growth in the grassy flat area we walk past. To look at the site quickly one would think what beautiful white flowers and wonder what type they are. However they are not flowers they are mushrooms. In this grassy area they are considered weeds, by definition: a plant considered troublesome, useless, unattractive, or unwanted. Looking at the weeds when they are defined makes them look more unattractive and unappealing. But before they were categorized we could see the beauty in them.
That is our way of life is it not. We as humans label and define each person and situation we are involved with as a weed, unwanted, troublesome, useless or as something we want and desire. Those labels come from judgements. Who among us is able not to judge?
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”
Matthew 7:1
How difficult is it in our lives to just let others be without making a negative comment about it. Why do we so often fail to see the inner beauty in others?
As moms we have absolutely no problem seeing through the unwanted behaviors of our own children and seeing their inner beauty. Especially when others point out our children’s faults, we retaliate quickly with his/her best traits. We can easily see through the the troublesome unattractive qualities due to the immense love we have for them. It’s the people we do not love that we find are unwanted, unattractive and many times troublesome. We don’t want people in our lives that are so different from ourselves that we cannot understand them so we create a distance with our judgement of them. We don’t want people in our life that appear to have a different set of beliefs from ourselves because they may question our beliefs and then we have to defend ourselves so we distance ourselves in self preservation. We fear what we do not understand, what is very different and then we create a distance to keep us “safe” from the weeds of this world.
God sees the mushrooms as another flower, another creation of beauty with a neccesity to His creation of nature. Not one creation He has made is useless, unwanted or troublesome in God’s eyes. Not one plant, NOT EVEN ONE PERSON! God sees through the unattractive characteristics even past our sins, bad choices and wrongful desires. God sees the good qualities the ones that are easy to love. God can see all of this because His love is unending, unwavering and eternal for everyone of His creations. We are His children and He loves us even more than we love our own.
Our children learn from our words but they learn more from our actions. If you have disdain for another person or love your child knows by your body language and the way you treat that person. If you desire to keep a distance your child will pick up on all of your cues. We teach our children even the lessons we don’t want to pass on.
Today contemplate for a few minutes who are the “weeds” you encounter in your daily life?
Is it the homeless guy you try to avoid eye contact with holding the sign at the exit ramp? You could instead make eye contact, smile and just say a prayer for him, he was once a child too.
Is it the check out girl with the pierced everything and you just can’t understand why she would mutilate her face like that? You could smile and just say thank you without judgement. She was some one’s child once too.
Is it the power hungry, money driven people, bosses, co workersand others you have met that just don’t get what life is all about? You could pray for them to find God in simplicity and show them a simple smile to show friendship, they were children once too.
We were all children and had mothers, like us, that would defend us to the death. We are still children of God and he sees that there are no weeds. Let us try to love as God loves us, to see as God sees us and know there are no weeds just beautiful flowers like mushrooms that grow all about us.
Wow! I love it! Everything you write is so true. My son was in a band with some kids who did not look like the conventional kids you would want them to hang out with…however I put my prejudices aside and met them all. He left the band soon after but not because I made him do it!! It’s so easy to judge.
What a great write up. I cant believe those are mushrooms because to me they are kind of pretty. As I make more mistakes in life I have learned not to judge others. Lately since I read that I email I got I have been making an extra effort to not get mad when others treat me wrong. I tell myself that they are just having a bad day like I have many times myself. Ill put a link to this over at my site.
Lucy
Hi, I saw your website on facebook and decided to take a look at it. Congrats I love it,a and the things you write about are so true, lately I’ve found some really nice people on fb that are truly inspiring and very devoted to the word. I find that very refreshing, and it gives me real peace. Thanks Lori for sharing your website with us, and GBY.