Jesus Does Not Judge A Person By One Season-And Neither Should We :)

From Worthy Devotions:

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

“We came across this powerful story and wanted to share it with you.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted them to learn to not judge things too quickly, so he sent them each on a quest to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. He sent his first son in the winter, his second in the spring, his third in summer and his youngest in the fall. When they had all gone and come back , he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

After hearing all his son’s responses, the wise father replied, “Sons, you are all right — because you have each seen only one season in the tree’s life. But you cannot judge a tree, or a person, or anything else by only one season. Most things can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons have come to pass”.

When I read this devotion, I can’t help but think how true it is-and how comforting.  I know that I myself have a tendency to worry about those I love.  Our husbands, our children, our family and friends.  With so many people that we love, there’s always some that are doing great-and there always a few that are struggling.

And when it comes to our children especially, there are simply no words that can really explain just how much we love them.  And as they grow up, there are times we can’t help but worry about them.  Are they on the right track?  Do they have the right friends?  Are they truly learning to love the Lord?  Have they found the kind of faith that will light their way both here and through eternity?  The kind of faith that can never be taken away or torn down?  And as they grow, there will be days when we look at them amazed that someone so wonderful could be our child!    And there will be times that their love and thoughtfulness will bring tears to our eyes.  But there will also be days when we worry and wonder if they will find their way. And there will be days when we are frustrated and angry with them.

And it’s on those days, the hard days, that we need to hold onto this reading, because just as it says above, no man is judged by just one season.  And we need to remember that when we are worried about someone we love, whether it’s our child, our husband or someone we love, Jesus loves them even more than we do.  And just as we will never give up on them and just as we will always love them-so will He.  So if there is someone in your life right now that you are worried about, remember, “With God All Things Are Possible”, and this life is a journey with many seasons.  But for those who follow our Lord, regardless of the seasons, our journey will end in one place-in Heaven.