I read a post today from a woman in my religious class who shared the following verses from 1 Corinthians 4:3-5. "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God." She then asked the question, "How do you help yourself view others as fellow children of God?"
I think we have all probably had experiences where we have judged another or have been judged at some point in our lives. I believe as we try to view others as children of God, it helps us to be more kind and less judgmental.
A number of years ago, I had an experience that left a profound mark on my heart and mind. One that I will never forget.
Our family had recently moved to a small town in New Mexico. Our ward was a rather large ward however, very few members ever came. In fact it wasn't uncommon to fill only half of the chapel, so it wasn't hard to miss a new face.
Every now and again, there was a woman who would show up at the church house during sacrament meeting with a couple of small children. She was a small framed, woman with extremely long hair who appeared to have lived a long hard life of possible drug and alcohol abuse, amongst other things. Occasionally an older, heavy set, woman in a wheel chair would accompany her. I assumed it was her mother. Most Sunday's (when she did come to church) this slender young woman would show up in a pair of, what appeared to be, her nicest pants and most Sunday's she and her company sat in the Foyer. Often the children would run unruly around the foyer and down the hall.
Since I had 7 busy children (some of them rather young still) it wasn't uncommon for me to spend a few moments in the foyer or the small room at the end of the church hall, dedicated for nursing mothers or mothers of small children. One particular Sunday, as I entered the 'mothers room' to feed my screaming infant, I noticed this woman standing in the corner alone. She was fishing quietly in her purse for something. My initial thought was, "She's come to be alone in a warm, quiet place to get a 'quick fix'". I was appalled! I couldn't believe someone would be so bold to do such a thing in the Lord's house.
I didn't want to be noisy. It bothered me that this woman was in the 'mothers room' alone standing in the corner being so sneaky. I quietly sat down in one of the comfy, swivel chairs, covered up with a blanket, and began feeding my tiny babe with my back to her.
She noticed I was there and I am certain she probably wondered what I was thinking, but she continued to quietly fish in her bag.
Neither of us said a word. In fact, it was very quiet for quite some time. I wondered if she was as uncomfortable as I was?
After some time, I slowly turned enough in the chair that I could see out of the corner of my eye what exactly she was doing.
One by one she counted out coins. Some of them dimes, some of them quarters, some of them nickels and some of them pennies.
She had been fishing in her bag for what little money she had to pay her tithing. It was obviously difficult for her. She kept her back to me and continued. Did she know that I was watching?
Immediately I was overtaken by a wave of shame and sadness. I had wrongfully judged this woman! Someone who had come to church to partake of the healing power the sacrament offered. Someone who was trying her best. Someone who was being obedient. Someone who was being faithful.
It was at that moment I felt the spirit gently remind me..."Remember the Widow and her two small Mites?" followed by the tender reminder, "She is mine too!"
How could I have been so shallow and narrow minded? Why did I fail to see her as a Child of God?
6 years later...
Recently, we had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner. After they ate, they left us with a brief, uplifting message as they always do. This certain occasion, they asked my (now older) children, "How do you show love to all of your neighbors...even the ones that you don't know very well or who might be mean?" One of the Sisters followed with this remark, "When someone offends me, I remind myself, 'He or she is a child of God too.'"
I believe this is the answer to so many problems that plague society. We are asked to "Love one another" and to treat them as children of God.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely...He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us” (“The Love of God,” Oct. 2009 ).
I will never forget this lovely woman who taught me, without ever saying a word, the importance of not judging one another, that we are ALL children of God and he loves ALL of us immensely.
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