I Know What You're Thinking

Imagine the absurdity...

Everyone in the courtroom stands as the honorable judge is announced. He seats himself, the courtroom is seated; the judge faces the people in the courtroom.

The lawyers are ready to begin the day and the first case is introduced and immediately the gavel strikes and the judge announces, “Guilty. Next case.”

Again, imagine the absurdity.

You know and I know; the judge knows, the lawyers know, everyone knows... that’s not fair! There can be no justice unless the judge ‘hears’ the case. He cannot simply respond to the accusation without listening to the facts.

It seems so elementary, yet, we all sit in the judge’s seat at times in our daily lives. Parents deal with children, husbands interact with wives, wives with husbands; bosses and employees interact; neighbors interact; church members interact; people bump into people in stores, at the park, around town. We are involved in communication everywhere we go.

How often do you ‘decide’ something about a person before you get to know them? How often do you 'decide' how you will respond before listening to the other person?

It cannot work in the courtroom. The judge must first listen, then return a verdict (judgment).

It cannot work at the fast food restaurant. Imagine pulling up to the 'drive through' and just as you begin to order, you hear: “Hello...your order is ready.”

What makes us think it will work in our daily interactions with people. It is so easy to blurt out a response before all the facts are known. It is so easy to ‘jump to conclusions.’

Friendships severed; family members offended; business deals lost; progress stifled. Solomon calls it ‘folly and shame.’

     He who gives an answer before he hears, 
     It is folly and shame to him.
                                                             --Proverbs 18:13
I think 'time' is an important part of the solution. Just pause a little longer, listen a little more carefully, then respond. They say that “time heals all wounds” but perhaps a little extra time could prevent the injury in the first place. After all, I really don't know what you're thinking.