The Quote:
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” –
Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Wisdom from Scripture:
Romans 14: 1-4 (NIV)
“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master[a] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
Colossians 1: 9-10
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Prayer:
God, give us the desire to understand people, to imagine what they are going through, especially when they are different from us. Keep us from forming opinions that quickly morph into judgments. Keep our hearts open for those who don’t share our opinions and who live and function differently; and let us become better at supporting and encouraging others, in Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.