True Love Is Not Judgmental   by Mark Sanford

     When you seek the welfare of others rather than judging them, you are God like.  A less fortunate person than yourself should be the object of your love not criticism.  Whether their misfortune is their own doing or lack thereof, you, who would claim the favor of God, should have nothing but compassion for them.

     When I was a child, my grandfather made a great impression on me.  He over heard me talking about someone in a not so flattering way.  His one statement left me feeling embarrassed and ashamed – “If you cannot say something nice about someone then say nothing at all.”

     A woman, with homely features, lived behind us, a street over.  She never seemed to have any boyfriends or popularity since she was not pleasing to the eye.  Though she was kind and considerate, the boys made fun of her when they got together.  They found great pleasure in the ridicule of this poor child, even so far as calling her names I can't print.  As crazy as it sounds, I felt more sorrow for her loneliness than I did for her ridicule. 

     Why must we seek pleasure in the suffering of others by judging them?  The more insecure a person is, the more they flounder in ridicule and judgment.  Whether a soul is a hero or not does not change the fact that in God’s eyes they are precious.  Can you imagine the eternal consequence of judgmental ridicule of the least of God’s children?  Boy, I wouldn’t want to be on that receiving end!  I know as much as I love certain people in my life how it would affect me to hear them ridiculed.  And I don’t even know the meaning of love compared to God.

Mark is a retired communications specialist living in Austin, Tx.  As Mark puts it "My wife and I, both, believe in the great benefits of a healthy body and soul."  You may contact Mark through our search page by searching on CID 117 or last name 'Sanford'.