Me:  You know people can really judge at times.

Prodigal:  I know.

Me:  Please God help me not to judge.

Please do not find fault with the man who limps,

Or stumbles along the road,

Unless you have worn the shoes he wears,

Or struggled beneath his load.

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,

Through hidden away from view.

Or the burdens he hears, placed on your back,

Might cause you to stumble, too.

Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today,

Unless you have felt the blow

That caused his fall, or felt the shame

That only the fallen know.

You may be strong, but still the blows

That were his, if dealt to you,

In the self-same way at the self-same time,

Might cause you to stagger too.

Don’t be harsh with the man who sins,

Or pelt him with word or stone,

Unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure,

That you have no sins of your own.

For, you know, perhaps, if the tempter’s voice

Should whisper as soft to you,

As it did to him when he went astray,

Might cause you to falter, too!

Author Unkown

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Romans 8:13

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org