I was people watching as I ate my lunch in the mall today. It seemed to me that most people were telling a story about themselves through their appearance. Now I wasn’t judging them but rather trying to understand what they were saying. The style of clothing that they wore spoke of how they viewed themselves, at least in that moment. Tattoos spoke volumes about things that were important to them, including names of people they held dear. Posture and countenance told me something about how this day was going for them. One teenager was speaking in a very animated way to his mom and grandmother, displaying a profound enthusiasm for the subject at hand.
I don’t believe that we can or should judge the motives of others. We can’t know or understand what is going on in their minds and hearts. We only observe the exterior.
However, God knows us intimately. He understands our weaknesses, He put on human flesh and lived as a man, though remaining fully God. He sympathizes with our frailty. So when we come to Him, even in our weaknesses, He will not cast us away from Him. Instead He will give us mercy and we will receive grace to help us. Hebrews 4:15-26 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Reluctant Retiree 