Yesterday, as I read from my blog roll, I clicked on Truthful Tidbits. The author, Linda Hogeland penned a beautiful, thought-provoking poem about how we shouldn’t be so quick to judge others, a common mistake everyone is guilty of at some point.
Allow me to share with you these words….Walk a Mile in My Shoes by Linda Hogeland (c) June 2011
Some people say…walk a mile in my shoes… before you judge me today
And before that walk you take in my shoes…please take a moment to pray
Before you reach out…to remove the small speck… that you see so clearly in mine…
Ask the Lord to help you… remove the big plank… that distorts your vision sometimes
As you walk in my shoes, and the obstacles fall, across your path at every turn
Take a moment to pray for some grace in your day…use it as an opportunity to learn
Learn to be thankful for all that you have… and don’t covet what I might obtain
For the grass is not greener on this side of the fence…and my life has often held pain
If you jog… don’t get blisters…cuz my shoes are quite small, and I can’t afford to buy new
You may wish that you had not walked in my shoes at all…but the ones that fit better on you
And if I’d turn it around, it might just be found, that your shoes would be hard to fit too
So the mile that we walk, let’s take time for a talk, and be friends and decide what to do
Life is harder than it seems… and we all lose our dreams… and a shoulder to lean on is nice
So next time you hear, “walk a mile in my shoes”…may I give you a little advice?
Have compassion and care…take the time just to share, and to listen to what others say
But first and foremost…don’t ever boast…there’s plenty more trials on the way
Yes, we all need to care…when we see such despair and we need to help where we can
There once was a King who walked under a cross…shouldering that burden for man
He took our place upon that old rugged cross as He hung there in sorrow and pain
Yes He died in our place for our sins and disgrace so that we could be free from the shame
Talk about walking a mile in our shoes…He forged on to Golgotha for me
And for us He endured all the things that He heard as they mocked Him as He hung on that tree
What a blessing it is that He walked in our shoes to the death that we all so deserved
From now on I will talk of that life giving walk…and try not to be so reserved
Lord…may I walk in their shoes… and give them Good News… that you lovingly gave to me
And like you… may I give of myself everyday…to all the burdened people I see!
Each Thursday, I participate in Amanda’s weekly meme, Thursday Two Questions. if you wish to play along, then click her button to the left to be directed to her site. This is a fun way to gain a bit of insight on one another.
My T2Q are inspired by Linda’s poem.
1. When was the last time you made an assumption about another person – good or bad? This is really difficult for me to say. I mean all of my time is spent at home. For me, I can’t draw the same comparison with peoples’ affairs like I could when I worked, but I know too many times, I’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion regarding my children. You know, things look a certain way and it’s not that way at all, but I don’t find out the truth until I play 20 questions. I shouldn’t be so quick to cast that first stone.(John 8:7)
2. Do you ever wish you could change shoes with another person for a day? If so, who would it be with? This may sound totally odd, but I cannot think of a single person who I would be interested in switching places with, even for a day. I realize the elite in our society has problems like the rest of us. In fact, I dare say in many cases their situations are more difficult than what we have going on in our own life. Money…fame, yeah it’s nice sounding, but prefer my quiet, less complicated life over a high profile, stress induced chaos.
In closing one thing comes to mind when I think of walking in someone’s shoes. Can you imagine what it was like for Mary, the mother of Jesus? The stares and talk must have been horrible, yet there is no record in the Bible of Mary being anything other than honored and humbled by God’s calling.
I stumbled upon this song and I like the lyrics a lot. I hope you enjoy it, too.