I recently left my position at a local church to finish a counseling internship this next Fall. That leaves me hanging out with my three wonderful children this summer. We are fortunate to have free pool access all summer long. For the past week, the kids and I have been visiting the pool almost daily. The other day, as I was sitting at the baby pool, watching my 5-year-old splash around in the hot sun, I began to look around at all the other moms. I am the most avid "people watcher" (it goes along with my future profession as a counselor). As I often do, I began to wonder about the lives of these people who I have never met. Where did they come from? What have their lives been like? Did they come from a rich family, a poor family, or somewhere in between? How did they decide to have children? How many children will they have? Are they done having children yet?
These are the questions that tend to fill my mind whenever I meet (or see) someone new. I am very curious about the lives of other people...hopefully not just out of purely being nosy, but in a deeper way that longs to understand other human beings. I began to realize quickly that many different types of people existed in this very small space of the baby area of the pool. I looked over at one woman who was freely breastfeeding her child by the side of the pool. I had suddenly conflicting thoughts about her, not because of what she was doing, but because there is much public controversy over what she was casually doing. She seemed to feel confident and happy, and her child seemed very happy too! I looked to the other end of the pool and another woman was nursing her child, under a very modest cover of a giant pool towel. She looked nervous and kept darting her eyes around at the other people in the pool. She seemed insecure, even though she was amply covered up. People knew what she was doing, but could not openly see what she was doing...and yet, still she seemed worried about what other people are thinking. I saw mothers and fathers in the baby pool playing with their children...and I saw mothers in tiny bikinis, spending their time focusing on soaking up the sun with heads tilted back and seemingly unconcerned about what their children were doing. It was not looking at these people to make judgments, simply as a student of the human race. It was a bright and beautiful day, the warm air and sunshine hitting me on my face felt good. My soul seemed to be at rest, peacefully content to stay in this moment for hours.
As I basked in the sunshine, another thought entered my mind. I don't know any of these people. What made the one woman insecure in feeding her child (or perhaps just greatly modest) while another feels completely happy to feed her child openly? What makes one parent want to stay in direct contact with a child in every activity, while another parent is content to rest and trust that her child will just be OK? Where do I fall, as a parent, in this spectrum of parenting styles?
Quite honestly, at different times, I have been like all these people. I have moments of confidence and self-assurance in my decisions and moments of insecurity or modesty about my own life's choices. At times, I have hovered over my children--afraid that any harm might come to them, while at other times, I am able to throw my head back and have no cares in the world. I know they will grow up and be OK. As I pondered these questions, the final thought hit me...
God created every person in this pool area. Some make choices to live life one way, while others make different choices to live another way. God loves all of them. His love is not discerning. He simply loves them because He created them to be His children, made in His own image. His desire is for each of them to come into a meaningful relationship with Him. He LOVES them.
Why are we, as mere mortals, so quick to judge the decisions of others? According to the Bible, there are definite "right" and "wrong" behaviors and choices, and there are consequences for choosing the wrong path in life. However, our job is to love people, just like God loves us. Help people to be reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Truth be told...we all make bad decisions. We all have chosen the wrong path...whatever the wrong path may be. None of us are perfect, and at times, we choose both the right and wrong paths in life. That is why God extended His grace to us through His Son, Jesus. He knows we are messed up. He knows we are going to make mistakes. He LOVES us anyway...the greatest mistake we can ever make is to reject the gift He freely gave to us through the sacrifice of His own Son. This is the only mistake we make that truly keeps us from knowing His love personally.
I am a people-watcher. I always have been, and most likely always will be. What I learned the other day at the pool is that God is a PEOPLE-WATCHER, but He doesn't stop there. He is a PEOPLE-LOVER, and He loves you. He also has the power to set you on the right path and keep you moving along in a life full of peace, freedom and abundance.
Romans 3:21-26 (NASB)
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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