Judge Gently

Pray, don't find fault with the man who limps
Or stumbles along the road.
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears
Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt
Though hidden away from view.
Or the burden he bears placed on your back
Might cause you to stumble too.

Don't sneer at the man who's down today
Unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.

You may be strong but still the blows
That was his if dealt to you
In the selfsame way, at the selfsame time
Might cause you to stagger too.

Don't be too harsh with the man who sins
Or pelt him with word or stone
Unless you are sure - yea, doubly sure
That you have no sins of your own.

For you know, perhaps,
If the tempter's voice should whisper as soft to you
As it did to him when he went astray
It might cause you to falter too.

~Author Unknown

The important thing

Today I received this email:

********
Henry
======

A group of friends went deer hunting and paired off in twos for
the day. That night, one of the hunters returned alone,
staggering under the weight of an eight-point buck.

"Where's Henry?" the others asked.

"Henry had a stroke of some kind. He's a couple miles back up
the trail," the successful hunter replied.

"You left Henry out there and carried the deer back?" they
inquired.

"It was a tough call", nodded the hunter. "But I figured no one
is going to steal Henry!"


********

Like Henry, most of us follow after what is not right and forget the most important things in our lives. We follow our desires and forget the more important people or things in life. We leave God's work because we hope that it will not change and pursue things we feel will not be there if not done now. We carry the dead deer thinking it won't be there and leave behind the man stricken with a stroke. We carry the dead and leave the dying.