“Judge not, that you be not judged. Matthew 7:1
Lucy was the happiest girl you could imagine. Although she had few friends, if any, she was content in her own little world. She was also a fine student and had a flare for Art. She created the most beautiful things you could imagine. It didn’t matter the materials that were available she could perform miracles with it. Her only flaw was that once she got working, her focus became so intense that she often forgot everything and everyone around her. She was oblivious to the world. As the old saying goes, “the house could be on fire and she wouldn’t notice.”
Due to Lucy’s flaw everyone seemed to Judge her differently. Some were certain she was painfully shy, since she rarely spoke to anyone. Others assumed she was conceited and thought too much of herself to bother with the rest of us on earth. Still some sensitive people were certain Lucy just didn’t like them. Lucy was so into everything she wanted to do she really didn’t notice what others were thinking of her, until her birthday came.
Her Mother made all the arrangements and with the help of her teacher, she was certain to invite all her classmates. When the day came her Mother was so excited. Lucy did not suspect a thing. As you can image she was feverishly working on a painting and didn’t notice anything her mother had done.
All the guests arrived and Lucy began to play with her classmates. Soon enough Lucy came rushing into the kitchen exclaiming “Mommy they don’t like me, they said I was stuck up.” Lucy was crying and Mom took her in her arms and held her tight for a minute. Then Mom looked her daughter in the eyes and with all the strength she could muster told her daughter in a stern voice “Now you know you’re not conceited, and that’s all that matters. Go out there and ignore that remark. Have a fun time. Once they see you for who you are that nonsense about being stuck up will stop.” Lucy countered “But they hurt my feelings.” The mother did not let up, “you forgive them and give them a second chance.” Lucy looked at her mother for a moment and left the kitchen.
By the end of the party all the children were happy, filled with sweets and tired from all the play. Many told Lucy they would love to come over and play again. Lucy learned a few lessons that day and so did her new friends. Making friends takes some effort, but it sure is worth it, and we have to forgive just like Jesus forgave us. Lucy’s friends discovered all their judgments were wrong. That’s why the Sunday school teacher would always say “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1-3) Things just seem to work better when we follow the teachings of Christ.
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