Our Attitudes Towards Others

Matthew 7:1 – Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Some years ago, on a bitterly cold winter's night, a police officer walking his city "beat" came upon a homeless vagrant, unconscious in an alley. "Homeless vagrant" is a more charitable term than "wino" or "skid-row bum." There were no shelters for the homeless in those days. Realizing the poor man would freeze to death if left there, the officer had him taken to the hospital.

The attending physician at the hospital, attempting to take the man's vital signs, could not discern a pulse. He said, in Latin, to his colleagues, "He's dead, the poor worthless wretch." Then, to the young doctor's amazement, he heard the weak reply from the vagrant, in perfect Latin, "Call him not worthless for whom Christ died."

Despite Christ's admonition to "Judge not" many of us feel that if others are doing something we are not doing, that makes us better than they and more "worthy" of Christ's love, His caring and His grace. The vagrant's reply to the young physician is a reminder to us that we are all equal in God's eyes.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to remember always the worth of others and that Christ died for all of us. Remembering this, as Christians, may we be less inclined to judge others by our own personal standards. This we ask in the name of the Christ in whose eyes and in whose heart we are all equal. Amen.

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