FOODFORTHOUGHT

One day, I was giving a retreat to a bunch of bigwig executives.

As a whole, the group was very happy to be there.

Except for one guy -- one of the vice presidents -- at the back
of the room.

If horses suffered from menopause, that was what he looked like:
He snorted around, kicked his hoofs about, creating dust clouds
everywhere. While all were listening to my talk, he'd stand up and
walk around, disturbing everyone, chatting with people and munching
chip! Obviously, he didn't like being there. I guessed he was forced
by the company's president to attend the retreat.

This menopausal horse was getting to my nerves, so I approached
him after my talk. The evil laboratory in my brain provided me with a
few opening lines to use.

"Let me see...You became VP by marrying the owner's daughter,
right?"

"You're a VP? Does that stand for Vile Personality?"

"So, what Al Quaeda cell do you work for?"

"Are you by any chance demon-possessed?"

Of course, my favorite was...

"Hi, are you having hot flushes?"

Thankfully, I didn't choose any of the above.

Instead, I took him aside and sincerely asked, "Hi, brother. How
are you?"

After some awkward moments, his story came pouring out.

"Last month, my wife was diagnosed to have cancer," his voice
trembled, "and the doctors don't know how long she will last. I hate
being here because I want to be with her every waking time I
have." He wept like a baby.

Suddenly, I felt tinier than a virus.

Can anyone step on me and squash me, pleeeease? I deserved it.

I said, "Brother, can I pray for your wife right now?"

He nodded. I laid my hand over him and prayed for her healing.

You won't believe what happened next.

For the rest of the retreat, the man was as attentive as a
contemplative nun.

I learned two lessons that day.

One, I'll never call anyone (even in my mind) a menopausal horse
again.

Two, I need to know the story behind the story.

Without it, making judgments is insanity.

********
DEAR LORD, we pray that we shall never judge a brother's actions
until we know his motives. It is better to err on the side of charity
than to misjudge anyone. Remind us that the faults we see in others'
lives are sometimes true of us. May our expectation of others be
tempered by an awareness of our own weakness. Lord, help us to
lovingly build up one another and show kindness for your honor and
glory.

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