I remember the day as clear as if it happened yesterday. A woman came up to me and said, "I think you are faking the pain." After I regained my composure my first response was to enlighten her to what she couldn't see. There is a problem with what's not seen. Either people don't want to see it or they don't believe it's true. This phenomena has been around for many centuries. When I was growing up in the "good old days" I learned to not show pain. That's what people wanted to see. It's what took them to where they wanted to be. So, today, I don't show pain unless it's absolutely unbearable. People can't see my pain. I don't want sympathy. I don't want anyone fawning over me. I want people to understand they don't know what's going on inside of me. Many times I'm in physical, emotional or even spiritual pain just like so many others. There doesn't seem to be any shortage of people or organizations judging us. Understand that others have suffered as well. Paul talks of his vision problem. He asked God to take the problem away and was told that he, Paul, could take it. His was to proclaim the Gospel and the God would take care of the rest. He travelled with Luke who was a doctor and had a scribe for writing what he wrote. His pain wasn't important. His message was.
If you or someone you know is judging your situation, health or other past related issue, they are not focused on today much less tomorrow. The Christian church is the only army that not only abandons their wounded but also shoots them. I don't remember who said that but it's true. Our ability to love, accept and approve of people is impaired with our living in the past. Seeing only what was we fail to see what is and what will be. That's not what Jesus did or told us to do. He said that if you die to self he will be the life within you and that "the old has passed away and the new has come." Do you believe that? Can you wrap your mind around that when you encounter someone, anyone, from anywhere? I'm not going to tell you that you need to subjugate your beliefs to someone else's beliefs. There is no compromise with the Gospel. What there is for the Christian is the ability given by God to see the PERSON as He sees them. We're not to put our view of someone ahead of what God sees. It doesn't, didn't and won't ever work. Seeing our fellow mankind from God's point of view renders us effective. That's a good thing.
I'm not saying we need to excuse anyone either. Christians are to hold one another accountable and to hold up the standard set by Christ. If we only hold up the standard of the world we are not living the Christian life. If Christ isn't living through you, you are quite possibly not saved and definitely not preaching Christ's death, burial and resurrection. That's what people should look for in one another. I know that there are people in physical pain more and less than me. I know that there are people who have emotional and spiritual pain more and less than me. Understanding how we live for Christ in spite of our circumstances is what is important. You and I can be effective witnesses even though there are shortages in our physical life. Sometimes, like Paul, you and I need to see Christ in others and nothing else. Just because we live a life that others don't like, there is no conclusion that we are wrong. We've made a choice to look to what God wants us to see. We are just a bunch of beggars looking for food. Have you food to give away? Can people see that Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to you? It's all about our making a choice to accept people as Jesus did. It's always your choice.
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