CONTINUING TO WALK MY BROTHER’S MILE

I continue to believe that if I can somehow be Spirit led, my judgment of others will have a significantly better chance of being done in righteousness.

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:4)

I have also discovered that there are a few things which I can remind myself of which help me to get out of my own way and see more clearly to walk the path of a neighbor a little mile before unrationally bleating forth with some uninformed judgment:

Attempted problem solving for others is always done with profoundness by those who aren’t burdened with the actual encumbrances.

Because I have been able to overcome certain obstacles doesn’t make my journey a universal path which all should follow.

In spite of what we might read in the latest one-solution-fits-all, best-selling, talk show host recommended book, the overcoming of life’s hurdles is as varied as the number of those passing along that particular mile of their journey.

Because I have been blessed with certain tutorial experiences and have been helped to learn the designed lessons, it doesn’t mean that all will be enrolled in the same curriculum or required to incorporate the same instruction during their mortality.

Because I have made certain decisions based on the way I was led to interpret choices and view consequences, does not mean that all who find themselves at that same crossroad should turn in the same direction or continue along that same way for the same amount of time.

We often act too hastily when telling those on the other end of the continuum how to live. The poor are very adept at telling the more fortunate how to spend their money and the rich are very adept at telling the poor what they should be doing to get themselves out of their poverty.

I must never forget that the view I have of the world is limited to my own myopic vision and with my natural eye I will never see the world exactly as it is seen by my neighbor.

There is one other thought I would like to cover before leaving the concept of judging. It seems that criticism and correction made by judging is best reserved for ourselves, and then quickly followed by sincere conversations with the Lord for instructions on needed course corrections. While on the other hand, our relationships with others are to be dominated by edifying and building interactions. We are admonished to worry about keeping our own feet securely planted on the well-marked path and cease from trying to catch our neighbor in a misstep. We are counseled to make sure we are well founded upon the Chief Cornerstone and invite with kindness all to come unto Christ. We are told that we must keep our eye single to His glory and then hold up His light that others might see clearly the next step on their journey.

President Henry B. Eyring recently reminded about the spirit of a living a life that includes walking a mile in another’s shoes before making judgments. I include some excerpts from his talk:

Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others. There is no surprise in that, since the Lord proclaimed those as the first and great commandments. It is love of God that will lead us to keep His commandments. And love of others is at the heart of our capacity to obey Him.

The joys [of life] come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness, which is the absence of love.

I hope you will go out today looking for opportunities to do as He did and to love as He loves. (General Conference – October 2009)

Finally some words quoted by Dallin H. Oaks in a talk given at Brigham Young University March 1, 1998:

“The great essayist William George Jordan reminded us that character cannot be judged as dress goods – by viewing a sample yard to represent a whole bolt of cloth.” (The Crown of Individuality [1909], 101–5).

In another essay he wrote: ‘There is but one quality necessary for the perfect understanding of character, one quality that, if men have it, he may dare to judge—that is, omniscience. Most people study character as a proofreader pores over a great poem: his ears are dulled to the majesty and music of the lines, his eyes are darkened to the magic imagination of the genius of the author; that proofreader is busy watching for an inverted comma, a mis-spacing, or a wrong font letter. He has an eye trained for the imperfections, the weaknesses. …

We do not need to judge nearly so much as we think we do. This is the age of snap judgments. … [We need] the courage to say, ‘I don’t know. I am waiting further evidence. I must hear both sides of the question.’ It is this suspended judgment that is the supreme form of charity.” (“The Supreme Charity of the World,” The Kingship of Self-Control 27–30).

My prayer is that before I judge another I will try to walk that mile in my neighbor’s shoes.