The Way We See Things.

My husband works hard but because I stayed home to raise our children we never had much money. When my oldest daughter was married I wore one of her church dresses. When my second daughter was getting married, I had $40 to get a dress! I went to Sears, which was one of the few stores in our city at the time, and miraculously found a dress that would do. Or, so I thought.

On the day of the wedding, I heard a friend of the groom's mother say, "She should have worn a dress that was age-appropriate." I felt pretty small and embarrassed. I didn't think I looked that bad. But the groom's mother was wearing the most beautiful cream-colored suit. It was more appropriate for a mother of the bride or groom than my dress.

My mom told me she used to walk behind old people at the mall and wonder why they walked so slow. She said she would think, "For Pete's sake, pick up the pace a little." As she got older herself, she said she understood why they couldn't walk fast.

I have heard older people criticize teens who cover themselves in studs and piercings. But one time I got to know a young man who didn't only pierce himself all over, he also wore spikes around his neck and wrists. I found out his father was a Hell's Angel and he had been beaten all his childhood. No wonder he wore spikes. He wanted to keep people away. But he had a kind and loving soul. He actually turned out okay last time I heard. He is a disc jockey for big events. He finally got away from his father.

When I saw women with grey hair, I used to think, "Why don't they dye their hair. They would look so much younger and prettier." Then I became allergic to my hair dyes and had to let my hair go grey. So now there is someone thinking the same thing about me!

I recently told someone in my family I thought what they were doing was wrong. Then they gave me the reasons why they were doing it. I now saw something I thought anyone could see was wrong was not as black and white as I thought. And rightly, they pointed out to me the verse,

  "Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind."

It is hard to know if you should warn someone if you think they are doing wrong. Of course, people don't listen to you anyway! The Bible says we should warn people, but how far does that go? I really don't know. So, I'm still trying to learn not to judge people. It is a life-long lesson that I may never get exactly right, but that's okay. I'll keep trying and learning and hope never to hurt anyone along the way.