Jumping to Conclusions
The LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
I’m not crazy in love with amphibians—especially frogs and toads. I think it's those bulging eyes that undo me. But I am fascinated by the sounds that they make. The first peepers of spring are one of my favorite sounds of nature. Susie Colby (All God’s Creatures) has a humorous story tucked into her message about jumping to conclusions.
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The retreat center was characterized by what some call decayed elegance. Others might call it deferred maintenance. But the overgrown decorative pond was a nice place for contemplation. As I sat on a bench, deep in thought, a commotion in the pond startled me. I yelped and jumped! A splash, then concentric waves disturbed the water’s surface. My adrenaline rush melted into body-shaking laughter, equal parts relief and embarrassment.
Immediately up the path came a woman I’d seen earlier in the retreat. She was stylish and elegantly dressed in a sophisticated outfit in a red hue I wouldn’t be brave enough to wear even as lipstick. Here I was in jeans and a T-shirt.
I was intimidated, and I had been avoiding her all weekend.
My squeal had brought this woman to help, but when she found me in one piece and laughing, she began to laugh too. Her eyes asked, “What’s so funny?” I pointed to an ornamental green statue of a toad on a rock. “There are frogs in this pond. One just startled me.” She told me a story about her son and a frog. I shared a story about chasing frogs with my dad. Soon we were sitting on rocks by the pond, getting our clothes a bit muddy, chatting like old friends.
She pointed back to the little greet statue. “Who do you think put that here?” she asked. Just then the “statue” leaped into the pond. Splashed and wet, we laughed together again.
Unlike the spotted or colorful frogs of my childhood “hunts,” this frog—which I discovered was an American bullfrog—was one consistent color. I had mistaken it for a fake, a mere garden ornament, because of its perfect-seeming appearance, monochromatic and poised on the rock. I had misjudged my new friend in a similar way. I had perceived her put-together appearance as fakery because I had been intimidated, but as we sat together now, I appreciated her friendliness, as demonstrated when she came quickly to save me from a fearsome frog.
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. —Mother Teresa
Heavenly Father, thank You for the humor that You insert into each day. Help us to hear, understand, and put Your messages into action. AMEN