1 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV)
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before
the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and
will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his
commendation from God.
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted them to
learn to not judge things too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest to go
and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. He sent his first son
in the winter, his second in the spring, his third in summer and his youngest
in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to
describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and
twisted. The second son said no - it was covered with green buds and full of
promise. The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that
smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had
ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and
drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
After hearing all his son's responses, the wise father
replied, "Sons, you are all right -- because you have each seen only one
season in the tree's life. But you cannot judge a tree, or a person, or
anything else by only one season. Most things can only be measured at the end, when
all the seasons have come to pass".
Each of us has judged someone or something prematurely,
and we have also probably experienced the pain of being judged that way. We
need to look closely enough and long enough to see the big picture before we
rule things out. God does that for us all the time.
Dear Lord, forgive us for not giving others the benefit
of the doubt and judging them. Help us take Your example and look at the big
picture. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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