A Different Lens

“There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.” - James 2:13

Have you ever sat back and observed someone from afar? You might feel like you’ve got a pretty good idea of the context of what is going on with them. You know their family, you know the people they hang out with, and you know the person pretty well, yourself.  

But as you watch their life, you just can’t understand the choices they are making. Maybe you even talk about it with your other mutual friends. Knowing what you know, you just can’t believe they are choosing to live their life the way they are or doing what they are doing. Maybe it is one decision or maybe it is a lot of decisions.  

It might even make you question the future of your relationship with that person. Most of us at some point or another love to critique the decisions of others. We can’t believe they just don’t see it. If you have ever found yourself in this situation, or are in it right now, I want to warn you; be careful.

James 2:13 says, “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when He judges you.”

See, there is just one problem with trying to judge the actions and decisions of others. You don’t see through their lens. You can “put yourself in their shoes” theoretically all you want. But the reality is you aren’t in their shoes.

You aren’t coming from the same family, the same upbringing, or the same set of circumstances and experiences that have shaped and molded who they have become. You don’t know the full story. You couldn’t possibly because you aren’t them.  

It is easy for us to watch from the outside and observe the decisions of others. But be careful in doing so. You don’t see things through the same lens as they do, and that is a dangerous road to take. As the Lord says, if you want Him to show mercy to you, it starts with showing mercy to others!