A Lesson in Humility

" My car died on a desert road and I found myself having to walk 2 miles in 100 degree heat to the nearest town. I walked into the local diner there to get a glass of water and was completely stared upon by the locals. I was dripping wet with perspiration from the extreme heat and my shirt was completely soaked. The townspeople perceived me as being some kind of homeless person who had just crawled out of a dumpster in some back alley."

"From that moment on and for the next couple of days I was angry. I consider myself a good Christian Man and was angry at God for allowing all of this to happen to me. Not just my car breaking down on a desert road, but the embarrassment and humiliation I went through when stepping foot into that diner."

"And then I realized what God was teaching me. Even though I am a Christian, there were times where I would find myself judging others based on their appearance or way of life. This was a defining moment in my life. A lesson in humility."


I heard a Christian DJ tell of this experience on the radio last week. And it reminded me of how often it is us Christians who are the biggest offenders when it comes to judging others.

We judge others by what we see without ever really knowing that person's background or lifestyle.

We judge or critique other Christians and their beliefs and base it upon what we believe or have been taught,and simply forget that they pray and worship the same God as we do.

And we tend to judge the everyday common person, whether it's a homeless person living on the streets,a junkie on the street corner, a teenager with tattoos and body piercings, or even a co-worker or fellow parishioner and the gossip spread about that person.

I believe that is why God was so adamant in His Word about Christians not judging others:

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with what measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

The mark of every Christian is to be a strong and noble love toward others. Let's face it,we all could use a challenge by God to rectify our judgement of others.
I, for one, would welcome that or any other challenge that comes my way as long as it humbles me to the point of making me not just a better person, but a better example of Christ.