HIS PROMISE:  Though he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.  ~  Psalms 37:24

MY PRAYER:  Lord, my burdens are great.  Help me to lean on you, for your strength will see me through these days. Reach down and hold me up with your hand according to your promise.

“Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” We have heard that saying many times. If we haven’t walked in someone else’s shoes, lived their life, fought their battles, known their joys and felt their pain, we can’t judge their actions or lack of actions. We also can’t know their true heart. All we can know is what we can see on the outside. It’s also impossible to judge a book by its cover, so why would we want to judge someone solely based on outward appearance?

Of course, the Bible says we are not to judge…period. That is God’s job at the appointed time. But it is our sinful, human nature to look at the way someone is living their life and without realizing it, make a snap judgment in our heart based upon what we either see or hear.

When we hear someone using foul language, or we see someone obviously drunk or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or wearing inappropriate clothing, or unclean, it is human nature to judge them as not worthy.

What do we think when we see a scraggly, unshaven, unclean person standing beside the road with a sign begging for help? Human nature is to instinctively think that person needs to clean up and get a job. Human nature tells us that if we give that person money, they would just buy another drink. Human nature…

Human nature is not God’s nature. It is our sinful nature. God’s nature is Divine and Holy. For those who have Christ living within them, we have been instructed that we should be more like Christ. We need to learn to see with the eyes of Christ and respond accordingly, as Christ would respond. There’s a reason for the popular question: “What would Jesus Do?”

The more time we consciously spend reflecting on how Jesus would respond to a situation and try to become more like Him, the sooner we can stop consciously spending time reflecting on how Jesus would respond to a situation. It will become our Nature… Christ’s Nature within us.

Maybe the saying should be, “Never judge someone until you have walked a mile in Jesus’ sandals.”  The more we walk in His sandals in our daily walk through this life, the more we will understand the true heart of Christ.