Life lessons

In the spirit of changing things in my life, there's an area I've been working on for some time, but need to allow God to work on it too.

My new job has challenged me in the area of being judgemental. I have always had the desire to be "right" and have shoveled out advice when it wasn't requested and/or needed, and have been quick to have the right answer for someone even when it's none of my business (which of course is most of the time). My job has really challenged me - I cannot judge the women who come in for our services. Sure, I probably have some ideas/truth that could save them from being in the same position again...for example, they could practice abstinence. But my knowledge isn't what they need - they need love. And learning this at work has pushed me to thinking of how I can apply it to my own life.

Don't get me wrong here - I'm not saying that they should receive love without truth - but I am realizing more and more that truth spoken in love should come directly from the Lord, not from whatever ideas I may have gleaned in life ( I know - duh - but sometimes I am a slow learner). Sure - life experience can give you all kinds of advice of what works and doesn't work, and it's not bad to offer it to someone who is asking for help. But what I'm talking about is coming to conclusions about a person based on decisions you see them making.

Our pastor spoke yesterday about the great compassion God had for the people of Nineva. Did they deserve God's compassion? - not according to Jonah. And he was right - they were a wicked people who didn't seem interested in change. But when they did hear the truth, they repented, the king repented and the entire city including the animals fasted.

Guess what? I don't know people's hearts or intentions, nor do I know what might happen if I show them love and speak truth to them rather than thinking I know everything that they should do? What if I listened to them and offered a sympathetic ear rather than waiting for them to quit talking so that I can speak what's on my mind? What might happen if instead of doling out advice with my voice or in my head, I prayed for them and loved them the way they were, and asked God to give me the right words for when the time came to speak God's truth (and not Stephanie's)?