Something To Work On

I've often caught myself looking at others with judgement.  We've all done it.  The skanky girl in the restaurant or the sloppy drunk guy in public.  When I do catch myself in the act of looking down on people, I then reflect on all of the failures of my own life.


I'm a filthy sinner.  It's so easy to say that.  It's so easy to nonchalantly "admit" you have issues  in passing to appear "humble."  It's a totally other thing to stop looking at people like they are beneath you.


I've been blessed to have many great friends in my life.  A lot of them have had heartbreak, family problems, and multiple other disasters that life tends to bring the best of us.  I've watched people fall down and give up during crises that seem too difficult to bare.  Knowing their situations, I would never imagine placing judgement on them.  So why do it to strangers?


Everyone has issues.  Everyone has fallen down.  Everyone has done through self-destructive scenarios.  That girl in the restaurant with her boobs hanging out of her blouse is acting a certain way for a certain reason.  That guy that can't even walk ten steps without falling over due to inebriation has seen tough times at some point in his life.  You just don't know what people are going through.


Even if you do know the majority of a bad situation in someone's life, you still can't know exactly how it feels to be in their shoes.  Everyone is different.  Everyone has unique thoughts and emotions.  Only God knows all the ins and outs of things.


I've made life altering mistakes.  I've felt like I couldn't return to life as I know it.  I've failed miserably.  I've seen people judge me.  I've seen those condescending glances.  I've caught wind of those "we should pray for her" gossip sessions.  It's no fun.  It'll make you bitter.  It'll make you hate.  It'll make you fail again.


I've also seen understanding.  I've seen empathy.  I've seen genuine care and concern.  These things helped me pick myself back up.  It helped me forgive myself.  It helped me move forward.  It built up my confidence.


I guess what it comes down to is, do I want to encourage further failure or encourage self-actualization? (Like the Maslow reference? Yeah, this chick went to college.)  It's something I'm working on.  There's always something.