18 The Airport Terminal
Victor was sitting on a bench at at airport terminal at LAX waiting for his flight. He had just finished holding a long and tiring business meeting and was flying back home. Victor just wanted a little peace and quiet. He couldn't wait to get on the plane so he could fall asleep.
However, across from him was three small kids who were bouncing around and shouting. Wade noticed that there was a man with them who just sat there, seemingly oblivious to the general ruckus the kids were causing. Victor was bothered by their noise and chatter, but tried to ignore the children.
"What is wrong with their father?" Victor thought to himself. "He really should keep them in line. A good father would keep his children well-behaved. This man obviously is a weak authority figure. If he lets them go on like this, at this rate, they'll grow up to be a bunch of hooligans! They'll probably not even finish school and join a gang or something! What is wrong with this man?"
After a few minutes, Victor just couldn't stand it anymore. He had to tell this man off, if only for his own good. Agitated, Victor sharply asks the man, "Sir, can't you control your own children? They are very loud and it is a bother to people around them!"
The man slowly looks up at Victor and looks at him with a pained expression. "I am sorry," apologizes the man. "I just went to the hospital to visit my wife, who has been very sick. She just died this morning. I...I just don't know how to tell my children their mother has passed away. They think that she is just sleeping right now. We are flying to my parents' house today. I...just don't know...what to do."
Dumbfounded, Victor stammers out an apology to the man and tries to offer his condolences. The man nods. Victor and the man then sit in silence as the children play on.
Jesus counsels us not to judge according to appearance, but to judge with righteous judgment. Oftentimes we condemn people with snap judgments without bothering to try to find out the whole situation first. We have to remember that only God truly knows what is in a man's heart. This is not to say that we should not point out sinful actions, but that we should refrain from premature judgment. Please pray for God to give us guidance to be able to tell the difference!
- Recommended reading: John 7:16-24
