Judging: 17 January 2010

Every time as I head into town, I look for him. He is not seen very often but when he is, his bright colors bring a welcome and vivid contrast to the snowy white background. This lone male pheasant occasionally makes a habit of rummaging for food alongside the road a mile from our home. Just a week ago he showed up in a different location and was, of all things, in the company of several crows. I remember thinking, "What in the world is that pheasant doing with those crows - those scavengers?" How quickly we judge at times. There surely must have been something there that attracted the pheasant because it sure didn't look as if he was the least bit bothered by his black feathered companions.

So too at times we are very quick to judge others - how they look, how they live, where they live, if they have the "right job" (or no job), what their beliefs are, how they raise their children, how much "stuff" they have or do not have, who they hang around with and call friends, etc. perhaps without taking the time making the effort to gain an understanding of the other person, group of people or even a nation of people. The recent recounting of a conversation with an acquaintance a couple of years ago comes to mind. The topic of discussion was the tsunami that hit Somalia and the money donated to aid the people devastated by that disaster. This acquaintance boldly announced that people should give their money to causes in the United States and not to some foreign or remote country because "you don't get anything back" when donating to a cause outside of the U.S. Hmm...is the point of helping someone by whatever means and abilities we have really to get something back???

We live in a very global community and are connected almost immediately by technology to what is happening to our sisters and brothers in nearly every corner of the world. Just minutes after the very recent earthquake and massive devastation occurred in Haiti the beginnings of the story was already in the online version of the New York Times. And the media continues to keep us updated on the continuing tragedy as it unfolds. Oh we could make judgments; we could find fault in poorly constructed buildings that were flattened in a matter of minutes (or seconds), or in the "ignorance" of people who live there in poverty. But (hopefully) for most of us in our society we become acutely aware of our connection with the people of Haiti especially because we all share a common bond as children of our Sacred Creator. They are not "those people"; they with us are "we people" worthy of care, compassion, concern, and love. The Haitians, as is true of each and every one of us, have something of value to share with the world. At the very least, in their pain we learn compassion anew.

"To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Those of us who have wisdom to share, let us share it. Those of us who have knowledge, let us share it. Those of us who have the ability to provide healing, let us share that gift. For those of us who embrace faith, and hope and love as the cornerstones of our lives, let us hold onto that for strength and always remember we and all of creation are so deeply connected and loved by the Sacred One.

Peace on the Journey.