The other day I was sitting in a park in Pagosa Springs eating a box of strawberries I had picked up at Whole Foods — sorry, I meant Walmart. BTW, they were awesome.
This fellow walked over and sat a couple of benches away. If he had been cleaned up, he would have been a good looking guy, maybe in his 40s. His skin was rusty and showed he’d spent a lot of time outside. I was a bit suspicious of his intentions; he launched into a sermon about how he’d found the Lord 23 years ago and how he trusted the Lord to take care of him. He said he’d been on a walkabout all around the US spreading the word. Unlike me, he really meant walk about.
I thought about what made the two of us different — and what made the two of us similar.
I didn’t say much - making the assumption that even with his Lord talk, he might be up to no good.
Life is full of assumptions, isn’t it? I felt bad because the guy could have probably used $20 for a hot meal. But I assumed it would go to drugs or liquor so it stayed in my pocket.
I guess we all sort of wonder what assumptions people make about us. I doubt many people are right in their assumptions about me. But maybe they are, and I’m the one who’s wrong! 🤪. And am I any better in my assumptions about others?
A good reminder that our assumptions can and probably do limit our experiences.
Sometimes your assumptions keep you alive.