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Don't Make Assumptions


We are hard-wired to judge people based on their appearances, but it's a faulty mechanism that we need to ask God to fix. Do you look at a person and make assumptions about them?

  • If a person is heavy, do you assume that they have no self-control?
  • If a person is of a different race than you are, do you assume that they are inferior?
  • If a person drives an older car, do you assume that they can't afford a newer one?
  • If a person doesn't respond when you greet them, do you assume that they're stuck up?
  • If a person lives in a small home, do you assume that they are poor?

We make assumptions based on what we see, but the flaw in this system is the lack of facts. "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits." (Prov. 16:2) What if a person is heavy because they are ill? What if that Hispanic man that you looked down on is a medical doctor who treats you at your next appointment? What if the person driving the older car is the biggest giver in your church? What if the person who didn't respond to your greeting was seen later speaking in sign language with an interpreter? And what if the people in the tiny home are saving up to buy a home large enough to provide room for their elderly parents one day?

Assumptions are wild guesses pretending to be facts.

Instead of looking at people and "sizing them up," why not get to know them instead? "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." (Prov. 13:7) The very person you've been snubbing could be a walking storehouse of wisdom, placed in your path by the Lord to fortify and enrich your life. God has a garden full of personalities, and just as we are nourished when we eat from a variety of food groups, our lives are enriched when we get to know people from all walks of life.

Branch out. Get to know someone who is nothing like you. Banish the assumptions and just be a godly friend.

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
(Proverbs 18:24)

 www.keeptheheart.com



Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 12, 2013 at 9:40 AM

    Wow! Amen!!! Some of the sweetest and best encouragers I know are those folks who some won't take the time to get to know. LOVE THIS!!! Reminds me of the widow and her 2 mites. Jesus looks at the heart.We can't do that unless we get to know someone's heart. Get to know people and pray for them! Amen!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MikaJ88January 12, 2013 at 9:57 AM

    Its best to get to know someone before passing judgement. You may learn something from them that you can take with you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KEEP THE HEARTJanuary 12, 2013 at 10:58 AM

    From Yvette Spencer on FB January 12, 2013 10:58 AM
    Have you ever judged someone because you thought they were texting in church . . . Just to find out they were using it as a Bible? Ugh!!! I have! Assumption is a dangerous tool Satan uses to trip us up. Shame on us! Thanks for the reminder

    ReplyDelete
  4. KEEP THE HEARTJanuary 12, 2013 at 12:16 PM

    From Carol Nibbe on FB January 12, 2013 12:16pm
    My own missionary son uses his iPad because it has the Romanian Bible and KJV on it but I told him to put a label on the front of his iPad to let people know it was his Bible. LOL. Even he has been accused of "texting" in church.

    ReplyDelete
  5. KEEP THE HEARTJanuary 12, 2013 at 3:44 PM

    From Diane Charletta on FB January 12, 2013 3:44 PM
    Amen sister...never assume...it's a dangerous thing to do.

    ReplyDelete

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