Try My Shoes

One of the easiest things in the world to do is to talk about what other people do, or have done wrong in their lives. We all do it, some of us do it more often and get more enjoyment from it. I consider myself a little bit of an expert on this subject, since I've been on both sides of the fence, so to speak. I've been quick to judge and I've been judged. It's a tiresome job speculating about, editing, and spreading gossip. The only thing worse than spreading gossip, is being the subject of the latest "opinion", "I love her but.....", "I can't believe he", "Did you hear about"..."She said that he said"... "She's my best friend but"....."You mean you didn't know"......"Everybody knows"...."She should be ashamed". 


 A few years ago I called my Uncle Bobby to ask his advice about a question I had regarding marriage and divorce. My husband and I had both led sinful lives and we were both divorced prior to our marriage. We made the decision to be restored to the church that both of us had grown up in. The church welcomed us, but we weren't asked to, or allowed to participate in church matters (other than attending) because of our prior divorces. I called my Uncle Bobby hoping for some scriptures to help me understand the status of my salvation. He gave me the scriptures to help me understand that both my husband's divorce and my divorce were scriptural. I mentioned to him that I was concerned about what the elders thought about our marriage and he offered these words to me, "They can't say what they would do, because they've never walked in your shoes".


It's so easy to look at people and think the worst, especially if someone is grumpy or hateful. We can't all be cheerful and happy all the time. If I'm caught in the aftermath of a migraine or going through some crisis with my family, I could be a nominee for "grouch of the year". If I think someone has mistreated one of my kids, we can up that nomination to "psycho mom of the year" , but that's a different story. The point I'm trying to make is, we should all zip our lips unless we've been walking around in each other's shoes. Thank's Uncle Bobby, for the simple solution to a massive problem.