Epiphany
February 14, 2017
Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
You shall not render an unjust judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.
You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. – Leviticus 19:15-18
I learned through time and experience that dogs are generally good judges of human character. I always wonder what they sense, or perhaps it’s a scent that tells them: “Be careful around this one” or “this one’s OK.” Perhaps their ancestors’ survival responses were recorded on their DNA for future application by their descendants’ in times of threat. What made them retain what was correct and let go of what was not? Even mistreated dogs can get their survival signals wrong.
We humans retain memories of events that continue to shape our motivations and responses. It is a good idea to thumb through them occasionally and determine whether they remain relevant. It is hard for us to see clearly in ourselves that which is very apparent in someone else. Asking God to illuminate our ingrained drivers of behavior might be a good place to start. Erasing the unproductive motivators and replacing them with appropriate ones is an even greater challenge. A new girl transferred into my class in the second or third grade, I cannot remember for sure. She was a lot bigger than the rest of us and she was a bully. Her name was Carol and I was afraid of her. She did not even finish that school year in my class so her terror only lasted a few months. From that point forward, I shied away from other people named Carol until I got to know them. Irrational behavior? Absolutely, but it took the recognition of its existence before I could lay it aside. So, the next time we experience an internal alert to judge another negatively, it might be a good idea to dig a little deeper and examine our response.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
Prayer: God be present with me when I am in a position to judge another. Help me filter out those things that cloud my judgment. Give me the courage to arise above that which makes me judge unjustly. Amen.