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Walk a mile in another’s shoes
Children love putting on adult shoes. At 18 months old, my son put his grandmother’s snow boots on and tried to walk around the house. My daughter loved traipsing around in my heels as early as 2 years old. I remember that she’d ask me if she could have my shoes when she grew up. I always said yes!
The old saying goes something like “don’t judge another until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes.”
There is so much truth to that. We shouldn’t be quick to judge someone else because we really don’t know what it’s like to live his or her life; we don’t know how heavy the burden is. Because if we really knew, we wouldn’t be so harsh or quick to judge. If we knew, I think we’d have more compassion.
I remember years ago, I was in the grocery store with my two little children and one of them was having a little hissy fit. Nothing I did or said got him to quiet down. I even tried ignoring his behavior. Nope, that didn’t help, either. Needing food for the week, I decided to keep shopping, much to the dismay, I’m sure, of the other shoppers. One lady glared and huffed at me. She let out a moan and a sigh that was clearly meant for me. I felt horrible. And alone. And like a bad parent.
Yuck! I wanted to stop my cart and ask that lady if she had forgotten what it was like to raise children (she was an older woman). I wanted to ask her if it was easier for her to glare at me than smile. But I was too occupied with the screaming child that was calling me mommy!
Now, when I see a young mother with children who aren’t acting like she’d want them to, I say a prayer for her, smile at the children, or say something like, “Hey, someday you’ll laugh about this. Or you’ll write a blog about it.”
It hurts to be judged. It stings like the dickens to be looked down upon. Lord, help me have compassion and love for others, especially when I don’t know what it’s like walking in their shoes!
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THANKS FOR THE WORD.I FEEL LIKE IVE BEEN JUDGED AND LOOK DOWN UPON BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS,IT MAKE ME FEEL BAD.IVE BEEN HAVING SUICICED TENACY BUT I DONT WANNA DIE, I LOVE LIFE!DEEP DOWN I KNOW I WOULDNT KILL MY SELF,BUT SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE GIVING UP AND DONT CARE ABOUT DYING!THANKS FOR TAKING TIME TO REACH OUT TO OTHERS!THANK YOU!
Hi, Robert. Thank you for posting. I’m sad that you’ve felt so judged. I know, it hurts! Badly.
Maybe you can find the support you need in a good church in your area? We all need a place where we feel loved and accepted, yet encouraged to grow.
Please don’t try and carry all your burdens alone. If you continue to struggle with suicidal thoughts, please consider speaking with a therapist in your area who can help you.
God bless you
this is so true..sometimes it is so hurting that only the physical aspect and what is shown outside is being judged and what is currently happening.there could be deep reasons and issues behind what we see. i hope we can step back a little and think a little and ask ourselves “how would it be if i was in their shoes?”
My husband recently had a massive hemoragic stroke and 2 1/2 weeks later they told me that he had 20 or more strokes through out the entire brain. My heart is hurting now because the curial decision of life laid in my hands and I had to choose this for the man that is my soul mate in life. I choose for him to life an eternal life with JESUS in heaven after taking him off the ventailtor. My husbands family told me that I wanted to kill him for selfish intentions but I prayed and fasted and went to God in prayer, but deep down I know now God was preparing me for such a time as this. After I made that decision he lived for 3 weeks and 3 days to be exact God will always bring justice for the righteous. He also had one other problem which was for all that time he wasn’t being fed because it wouldn’t help the situation it might even prolong it. God himself is my judge, but the mouths of the beast were surronding me saying that I’m starving him to death.