The Other Side

George drives slowly down a busy road apparently oblivious to what's going on around him. Traffic is backing up and people are honking horns. He's been given the finger multiple times. Why can't he drive the speed limit? You show him your finger as well as you whip around him and move on down the road.

At work, Ellen seems to really be slipping. Her reports have been mistake-ridden for the past month and the boss is losing patience. She's distanced herself from the rest of the group, refusing to go to lunch with anyone. She's just gotten...weird...lately. You and the rest of the gang go to lunch and laugh about the strange stuff she's been doing lately.

Eddie gets picked on a lot. He dresses funny, smells bad, and has been shoved into a locker more times than he can count. He doesn't have any friends to speak of and isn't involved in any school activities at all. Nobody has ever seen his parents. He's dismissed as the loser kid who has no chance of succeeding in life.

It's easy to take a look at someone or at a situation and make a summation about it and then move on about our day, isn't it? We see things at a glance and apply our own assumptions making it our reality when what we need to do instead is really pay attention to what we're seeing and hearing and look for an understanding of what is really going on and an opportunity to do something about it. We're never going to know the other side of the story with our little 5-second summary snapshot. The truth is we wouldn't want people summarily dismissing us like that, would we? Wouldn't you want someone to come to your aid, even if it was just to hear your side of the story?

Matthew 9:12 says, 'On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.' I would argue that all of us have our own unique brand of sickness and that, when someone or something doesn't make sense or seems "weird", we should be seeking out the rest of the story and offering our help.

What I didn't tell you earlier in my stories was that George is driving home after burying his wife. He has no children to comfort him and all of his friends have already passed away. He has no one to comfort him and isn't quite sure how to move on with life. His speed is the least of his concerns right now. Ellen's new boyfriend has decided that she needs to be disciplined, so every night he beats her up. She knows he'll kill her if she tries to leave. She feels trapped and alone. Eddie's mother left when he was very young and his father pretends like he doesn't exist. He never has any food to eat and the only clothes he has he rummages out of the donation drop box in the school parking lot in the middle of the night. Everyone calls him a loser, so he believes they must be right.

Never assume you know someone by their appearance or their actions. Even the shallowest of us are much, much deeper beings than that. We're all God's creation and special. Jesus didn't come for those of us who are "normal". He came for the sick and the hurting and the oppressed. He wants us to help those in need, not to ignore them as we pass by. He wants us to be His hands and feet while He prepares eternity for us and he wants as many of His creation as we can bring to know Him to come with us. When you see someone or something you don't understand, take the time to learn the other side of the story.