JUDGE SOFTLY
“Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,
Or stumbled beneath the same load.
There may be tears in his soles that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
The burden he bears placed on your back
May cause you to stumble and fall, too.
Don’t sneer at the man who is down today
Unless you have felt the same blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
That were his, unknown to you in the same way,
May cause you to stagger and fall, too.
Don’t be too harsh with the man that sins.
Or pelt him with words, or stone, or disdain.
Unless you are sure you have no sins of your own,
And it’s only wisdom and love that your heart contains.
For you know if the tempter’s voice
Should whisper as soft to you,
As it did to him when he went astray,
It might cause you to falter, too.
Just walk a mile in his moccasins
Before you abuse, criticize and accuse.
If just for one hour, you could find a way
To see through his eyes, instead of your own muse.
I believe you’d be surprised to see
That you’ve been blind and narrow-minded, even unkind.
There are people on reservations and in the ghettos
Who have so little hope, and too much worry on their minds.
Brother, there but for the grace of God go you and I.
Just for a moment, slip into his mind and traditions
And see the world through his spirit and eyes
Before you cast a stone or falsely judge his conditions.
Remember to walk a mile in his moccasins
And remember the lessons of humanity taught to you by your elders.
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave
In other people’s lives, our kindnesses and generosity.
Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.”
~ by Mary T. Lathrap, 1895
This poem is what started the inspiration for the following thoughts.
Could it be an accident that I live on this earth? Why does God allow such pain to others and myself? This is what I have been asked, and at some point, have asked myself. Why would a God who loves us watch pain that hurts more than words can explain? Has Jesus really “walked in our moccasins?” When questions settle in without reliable answers, a black pit opens into a vast expanse of turbulent water. Turbulent water that hides the answers and is whipped by winds of mystery and black gloom. Through this gloom, whether true or imagined, stand others judging me, unable to understand this struggle. I “sneer at the man who is down,” yet I can’t understand why others now stand there judging me.
Gloom, I heard this word for the first time before I can remember. To truly understand the meaning of a word, means experiencing it or relating it back to something. Before that it is just a word, thought of in the context of where it is first read. After experiencing black gloom, it becomes a word where I hear dark winds sweeping across a black expanse, where I stand alone, not able to see my hand in front of me. Sometimes I emerge from this expanse, see the light, and then as the human I am, I reach out and try to pull someone else into the expanse with me. Misery loves company. The devil is the best example of this. Then the question comes, God, how can you leave me here? Here in this windswept place, cold to the bone, with no light. But, all is silence. No comforting answer, no warm blanket around me. Just a cold rush of wind in my ears.
But I have forgotten the most important part of gloom, just like the night does pass, so does the gloom, whether it is pushed out by a busy life or unhealthy ways of living. Unfortunately, dusk comes again, and with it, the night. God’s promise is always there. This brings me to another word; I don’t remember the first time I heard it, but I remember the first time it became more than a word. Faith. I was young, but I can still picture the bright sun shining on the butterfly that had just landed on a flower. The vibrant orange against the purple, contrasting, as its wings slowly moved up and down. Did God really make that flower? Does He really love me and has he truly forgiven my sins? This is the first time, that even with the sun shining, I was slightly frozen inside. This is also when I learned the true meaning of misery loves company. The sneaky devil came and told me, “God doesn’t love you.” Something inside of me froze even harder. I could see God’s creation, but I had listened to the sneaky whisper. At that moment, faith became real. Real, because even at this moment of feeling, I had to have faith that God did love me, no matter how I felt, and He was walking with me.
That day I wandered through the woods, and for the first time my awe for God’s beauty was slightly diminished. In faith, I prayed and knew that He heard it. Since this time, I have become angry at God, not talked to God, and done things that surely made Him wince in pain; but He has come and walked in my moccasins. I have faith it is true. Why else would I be able to go through the darkest gloom, wish I could die, ignore Him, and still be forgiven by God? I have faith my moccasins were made by the Great Creator. They fit me perfectly. If the Creator had never walked in my moccasins, how would He know how to create them as a perfect match?
Jesus shows me what “walking in another’s moccasins” means. It is impossible for me to understand and truly love my neighbor, without experiencing what may have caused them pain. But can I bring myself out of my misery, to understand that though I stand in the dark sweeping expanse of gloom, they might be standing at the cliff of despair? Be assured, climbing there, he cut many unseen holes in the bottom of his moccasins. They may need to be repaired. How will I know unless I try them on? I now understand the meaning of the word empathy.
Out of God’s trail map are found these words, spoken by Jesus when His own friend had betrayed Him to the Roman soldiers, directly after Simon Peter had cut off the ear of a soldier who intended to kill Him. Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:11) With these words he healed the soldier’s ear. Jesus did not stop walking in my moccasins for a few miles, He continued on in those same moccasins to the cross, where He gave his life for me. When Jesus died, he gave me salvation. But yet, sometimes I stand in the gloom without faith and blame him for my mess.
Does someone walk in my moccasins when I stand in gloom? Perhaps not, but my question for myself is, have I walked in someone else’s moccasins before? If I am not following Jesus’s example, why would Jesus walk with me when I have no faith in Him? Bend down, put on someone else’s moccasins, walk with them through the valley, and like Jesus, don’t stop until there is no further to walk. For as Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove ye hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20) Even when I don’t feel God, He says faith is so powerful, it can move a mountain. May I share this faith and use this faith in my own life. With faith in God, I can be an empathetic, humble servant.
nursing jan 