"Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did"
These are some words from a song that I really love. Words so powerful and true!
This is also a great quote:
“Who are you to judge the life I live?
I know I'm not perfect
-and I don't live to be-
but before you start pointing fingers...
make sure your hands are clean!”
Most of us know who the second one is by. A lot less of us know where the first one comes from. These two quotes are from very different worlds but share common ground on a very strong issue. Lots of people use the Bob Marley quote to justify their wrong behavior in some way. Not saying that's how he intended it (I love me some Bob!) and definitely not how I take it but its like people use it to put things back on the other person who is judging if you will. The other quote is as if we are accepting that we all judge. Since we are not perfect I've learned that I'm gonna judge and so saying to someone else "make sure your hands are clean before you judge" is like a parent telling their child not to do something knowing good and well that they did it to when they were kids. It is a great lesson to teach but something that was no way possible for us to avoid doing ourselves. So what do we do? How do we avoid it? Take the last line of the first quote for example. Put down all our differences and cross over. Spend time in the others state of feelings and or way of life and learn to love them! This is not the same as agreeing with them or practicing what you may not like about them, it is simply caring for them as a human being and loving them. I also love the second line of the first quote because in the smokey air of judging someone else all that person see's is what we don't like or what would be the negative to them. They don't see our good side and what we may both like or agree on. It makes me sad that both sides can be so blind.
I realize that I have a whole array of friends and family who read this. Some of you know each other and most of you don't. Some of you are from opposite sides of the spectrum and others of you are in the middle like me. Either way I wanted to share with you who actually was able to do the things we wish we could. Jesus! Now before some of you say whoa Megan I'm done reading your blog, hear me out. I normally wouldn't say something like this but I am coming into my own and finally learning how to be free, to be me in my whole walking without shoes journey. Anyway what I was saying was, He loved everyone no matter what. Always! Now like I said some of you may believe in Him some of you may not. So even if all of us who do believe in Him were wrong and He is just another story, (which I believe in him with my whole heart) isn't it an amazing one that we could use as a basis on how we should treat one another? Recently I have learned who He actually was/is and not who I thought or what society now days portrays Him to be. I've started doing my homework and all in all Jesus is an awesome guy! Never hurt anyone, never said a mean thing to anyone, and loved everyone for who they were. He even took all the reticule and hatred that He was given and made it positive. Now who of you doesn't want to know someone like that? Anyway my point is that we will struggle on our walks with no shoes but we can hold on to the little quotes we find and the role models we choose to be like and follow them and ask for help cause lord knows this is hard to do on our own. We may find them in different places but no matter the place we find them most of us want the same thing. Hence my two different quotes above.
So my hope for the moment, as I journey forward, for myself and all of you is that we can: "Open our eyes to the end of our pointing fingers and make sure our hands (or feet) get clean in the end" I love you guys! <3
