What Others See (11/03/2025)

My husband was telling me about his Halloween experience this year as our home’s candy distributor at the front door. The costumes were great! Everyone was very polite. And the most popular question of the evening was “Does a witch live here?”

Next to our front door, in the corner, is my broom. I have a thing about sweeping the front porch and keeping the area by the front door clean and welcoming. Anyway, the children would spot the broom, and their mind would see more than a cleaning tool. Perhaps it was a seasonal conclusion of young minds, but it was where the youngsters’ minds went when they spied the broom next to our front door. Where I see a cleaning tool, the youngsters imagined a mode of transportation.

What we see in a moment isn’t always a reflection of reality. Sometimes we add two and two and get six. What decisions have we made in life based on what we thought we saw? What judgments have we made based on less than all the information? Have we ever drawn a conclusion about another based on externals like a broom in the corner? Don’t laugh. It happens, just ask my husband.

Our savior taught us to love one another rather than judge one another. But it can be difficult. We can come to conclusions in a flash that aren’t in step with the rules of “the Way” and may be actually far removed from “the Truth.” If we truly want to share in “the Life” of Christ for all eternity, we may need to pray to the Spirit early and often to help us recognize the good in others and see what it is that the LORD created in another and is calling forth.  Don’t we hope that from others we encounter along the way?

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.