Remember…Things Are Not Always What They Appear to Be! by Dan Spitz
I want to share something I found as I was running through some of Rick Warren’s messages today. We cannot lean on our own understanding or base our thoughts on what we see. We have to rely on God’s promises and trust that He is working His plan for His benefit; for our good and His glory. And we can’t judge a situation or a person since we do not know what is in someone’s heart or what the truth is.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
The following is a story from a book by David Roper:
Once a group of young men decided to play a practical joke on a young bachelor executive who worked with them in Dallas. It was the custom each Thanksgiving for the president of the firm to give free turkeys to all employees. The young friend had indicated his displeasure at the idea since, being a young bachelor, he had no idea what he’d do with a whole turkey and furthermore, he had no desire to cook it. His friends, therefore, confiscated his turkey and replaced it with one made out of paper mache, the only remains of the original bird being the neck and the tail, which protruded from the paper wrappings.
The day before the holidays, the birds were handed out ceremoniously. Our friend, unaware of the switch, tucked his bogus bird under his arm and caught the streetcar for home. As he was setting there feeling a little self-conscious, a man seated himself on the bench next to him. Since the turkey was an obvious conversation piece they were soon engaged talking about the turkey. In the course of time, the young man learned his companion was without a job and down on his luck for some time. Therefore he had dim prospects for a happy Thanksgiving. He was on his way home with a few pounds of hamburger meat tucked in his coat pocket to be the entire Thanksgiving meal for his family. Our friend had a brilliant idea. Why not swap? The man, of course, was delighted.
The generosity was overwhelming. With a great sense of gratitude they made the exchange. Of course, you can imagine the outcome and the man’s thoughts when he removed the wrappings from the turkey and his children crowded around wide-eyed with anticipation. The young man, when he learned what his friends had done, searched for days for that man who he had unwittingly cheated but unfortunately he was never found.
The point is obvious. The poor, defrauded man, from his vantage point, would never understand the young man’s actions. To this day, I’m sure the incident stands out in his mind as an example of man’s inhumanity to man. Yet from the young man’s point of view, his motives were pure.
You can never judge anybody’s motives, what they’re doing. You don’t know what’s going on.