A Lesson in Judging others….

He was with his shopping cart outside the 7/11 convenience store as I pulled up. It seemed I saw him any time I had a project in this part of the city. Sometimes I would see him pushing his cart along Sunset or Hollywood Boulevards or other times he would somehow show up miles away in North Hollywood. We had never spoke, but our eyes had met. We knew each other.

This day I was at the store early. It had been a long night and even though I didn’t normally drink coffee, it sounded good now, as long as I could put a couple of shots of whiskey in it. I had been able to park in the spot immediately in front of the doors and as I came out with my coffee it was a short walk balancing coffee in one hand and a donut in the other. As I set my coffee on the roof of the truck’s cab, I heard a voice behind me, “Sir, hey mister. Sir, do you have any change you can spare? I could really use one of them cups of coffee this morning and maybe a good-looking donut like that also!” I knew for sure it must be the ‘cart’ guy and as I turned, he was coming toward me slowly, dragging his left leg. Something I had not noticed about him before. As he drew closer, I could see his right eye was swollen and there was blood coming out of one of his ears.

Without thinking I blurted out, “What happened to you, man? It looks like someone whooped on you pretty good!” He shook his head as he drew nearer, and with what I took for a laugh said, “Yeah, brother! But you should see the other guy!” I found myself chuckling with him and said, “I don’t have any change but you can have this coffee and donut. I will go back in and get another. I only have plastic on me.” Referring to my credit card. He tried to protest but as I handed them to him, he accepted as I headed back into the store.

When I returned, he was back by his cart. As I climbed in my truck, I reached under my seat to grab the bottle hidden there. I was about to pour a generous dollop into my cup when I heard him once again, “You know sir, that there looks pretty good too!” He had made his way back to my truck and was now standing near my rearview mirror. Shaking my head, I said, “Climb in the other side and I will give you a taste.” I could see his reluctance and said, “You ain’t going to mess this old truck up anymore than it is. Come on.”

As he hobbled over to the passenger door, I didn’t know why I had asked him. I had to be onsite in less than a half hour and really wasn’t needing any conversation. I shrugged, thinking I will give him the bottle and he will be happy. I was about to do just that when he said, “Thank you for your kindness, it has been a rough night. A guy over on Highland tried to get my buggy while I was resting, and it was quite a tussle. As you can see, I kept what was mine, but it was not easy.” For a moment I sat conflicted. What had I gotten myself into? He continued, “I have seen you around. You and your crew building them parking garages in the neighborhood. I could tell you were an alright guy.” With that he held out his cup and I filled it. I wanted to know more about this guy. A man I thought of as a street bum now had a face and a life. I might be late this morning, but I was going to share my drink with him for a while.

Have you ever judged a book by it’s cover? Saw a person on the street or in a store and immediately made a judgement about that person. If you can say no than you are a better man or woman than me. So many times, I have rushed to judge someone without the least knowledge of them besides the clothes they are wearing or the car they are driving. Could you imagine what would have happened if Jesus would have done the same. Would he have picked the disciples he did? Would he see me today and think that guy is a mess, I have no time for him?

I am sure you are saying to yourself, “Jesus wouldn’t do that!” And, of course, you would be right. Jesus would not do that and that is the point. If He wouldn’t, why do I? Why do you? The fact is Jesus had a lot to say about judging others. Probably the most known is this from Matthew’s gospel, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7: 1-3) I think we should meditate on this verse every day before we go out into the world. Our judgements matter. They matter to others but more importantly they matter to God. If I could hold on to this maybe I would not be so hasty in my judgements. What do you think?

In that 7/11 parking lot, I came to know the ‘cart’ guy was actually James Thomas. A Vietnam vet. A father of two. A real person with a real life. For months I had seen him and judged him to be just another street low life. But as I sat drinking coffee and whiskey with him, I began to see we were not that different. We parted after about a half hour. James would not allow me to go into the ATM and get him any cash. I shook his hand and we went our ways. I would see him now and again after that and we talked. But within months I noticed he was not around. I don’t know what happened to him, but I pray he found some peace. I am glad I got to know him. Today I seek to see others through the eyes of Jesus. What a world it would be if we all could do just that.

Happy Sabbath and Blessings,
John
1/4/19

Author: John

Christian blogger