“Don't judge others, and God won't judge you." ~ Luke
6:37
Julianne was ‘significantly’
pregnant. In her mind’s eye she
envisioned her baby sucking his thumb, blinking, and rotating inside her tummy,
practicing the skills needed for his next gig as a newborn.
Leaving her sister’s apartment, she cursed herself for
staying so late. She’d had to park in a
nearby lot because they lacked accessible parking. Snow-freezing fog had developed into heavy
snowfall. Icicles had formed while she was
enjoying spiced cider by a crackling fire. Still it was a wistfully quiet site.
When she finally reached her car, Julianne noticed it was
the only one left in the lot – most people had not ventured out tonight. Now she wished she’d been one of them. Nervously, she hopped into the car to let it
warm up a bit. Four faces appeared faintly
in her rearview mirror.
Julianne’s chest tightened; she could feel her knees trembling. Pregnancy was really messing with her head. That fight or flight instinct kicked in – time
to get the heck outta here. She hit the
gas pedal - too hard. The wheels spun
freely; spinning them faster didn’t create enough friction to melt the snow. Her car was immobile – as was she!
So stupid of her; parked in an isolated area late at night with
no means of escape. She fumbled for her
cell phone, although her hands were shaking too hard to dial numbers anyway.
They were coming to rob her . . . or worse!
One of them tapped on the window. No way would she roll it down. Her Guardian Angel whispered in her ear "It’ll
be okay," but Julianne wasn’t believing it. Bone chilled, breathless, wild with fear –
she’d never felt this way before, and never would it happen again! If she survived.
"Excuse me, Ma'am,” the boy yelled over the hum of the
engine. “Can we help you? You seem stuck."
Still afraid and fearing the worst, Julianne said "I am
stuck, and I’m not opening the door."
"It's okay, stay in your car and we'll push you out of
the snow." And so they did!
When they finally pushed her free, they smiled and
waved. She rolled down her window and
thanked them. She mentally swatted
herself for being so paranoid, embarrassed to have judged them so poorly and
knowing that when we judge others, we leave little room to love them.
Jesus, help me to see, listen and experience with
acceptance today; to hear what people are saying, and what the true intentions
are, without judgment or fear. Help me use
the same gift for myself; to accept me as You do. Amen
