It was the middle of the night, and I had gone to the kitchen to get a drink of water.  As I looked out the window I could see a coon over by the birdbath.  That was not unusual.  We have many nocturnal visitors:  coons, armadillos, possums, red fox, etc.  So I watched him with little interest as I drank my water.  Until he climbed up into the birdbath to get a drink of water.  Then I got upset.  We kept a bowl of water right beside the birdbath so our pets could drink, and that's where I expected the coon to get his drink also.  But there he was, climbing into the birdbath and almost turning it over.  I went back to bed muttering, "That dumb coon!"

     The next day while I was out in the yard, I went over by the birdbath.  When I did, I saw that the water bowl was completely dry.  There was no water in it for the coon to drink.  That completely changed my perception of what the coon had done.  He was no longer a "dumb" coon.  He was simply a thirsty coon who was getting a drink from the only place there was any water.  I misjudged him because I didn't know all the facts.

     All of which is a modern parable of how we often treat one another.  We are very quick to judge the other person without knowing the circumstances out of which he/she has acted.  We make some assumptions (as I did with the coon) which may be far from the mark.  And because we make those assumptions, we may become irritated or angry with the other person.

     I was able to see the empty water bowl the next day, which gave me the information I needed to revise my opinion of why the coon did what he did.  But in our relationships with other people we often do not know the full story.  We may never see the empty bowl.  So we make up our own reasons to explain the actions of the other person. 

     Since God alone can see all the "empty bowls" of life, He alone is fit to pass judgment.  And He has reserved that right for Himself.

     We are not to judge, but to love.  Perhaps if we practiced loving as much as we practice judging, we might discover "that dumb coon" is not so dumb after all.