It snuck up on me and I didn’t realize what I was doing at first. The sun was shining. I could feel the heat tingling on my skin and I was pretty sure I would burn but when it’s the first day of sun you do not care, you only think, “What is this glorious bright thing in the sky?” I decided it would be the perfect day to paint our kitchen table, but I hadn’t gotten the paint yet, so I convinced my husband to take it apart while I ran to Ace Hardware to grab some paint.
I didn’t think to wear a mask. About 90% of the store was in a mask.
“Wow, I can’t believe how paranoid everyone is.”
I drove home by the park and saw a ton of people were out enjoying the beautiful sunshine.
“Why don’t people just stay home. It’s their fault if I’m stuck inside forever. They are not even wearing masks!”
When I arrived home a gray car was sitting in our neighbor’s driveway. I didn’t recognize the car as theirs is blue.
“Should I report my neighbor for not social distancing? Clearly they have unauthorized company.”
Recognize any of these thoughts? Be honest.
This was in the span of about 1 hour. The judgements were flying out of my brain left and right. Then I started pondering what it will be like when we do start opening up more. Will you judge me if I go to a restaurant the first day it is open even if you don’t agree? Will I judge you if you are ready to gather with your friends and family but I think it’s too soon? Did you judge me already for not thinking to wear a mask to the hardware store?
Probably.
What if we stopped judging one another? What if instead of assuming the worst about one another we remembered….
- We aren’t living each other’s lives.
- Your situation is not my situation.
- The decisions we need to make for our families might be different for each of us.
I’m discouraged at the discord the quarantine has created. I read a story the other day about a woman who reported her neighbor because the neighbor was coming and going from home frequently and the woman felt like it was simply too much. Turns out the neighbor was a nurse in a busy ER.
Don’t assume.
Don’t judge.
Don’t put on the glasses that make you suspect everyone of some sinister plot.
Instead lay those glasses at the foot of the cross right now and pick up a healthy dose of GRACE.
We need to start practicing grace.
I’m challenging myself by doing this. Every time I feel those judgy thoughts coming into my head, I am going to turn it into a prayer instead. No, I don’t mean, “Lord, help my neighbors learn how to social distance.” I mean, “Lord, there I go again. I lay my thoughts at your feet. Capture my mind with your truth and fill me back up with your grace.”
As we re-enter the world, as we re-discover being together, as we continue to navigate this strange time, we are all going to need grace more than ever.
It’ll be much easier if we start practicing now.
