A "Background"…We all have one, whether its a background with a sport, skydiving, fishing, burning your hand on the stove, eating popsicles, ect. ect. ect.



When I was younger, I loved to swing, better yet, I loved to be pushed on the swing (less work duh). One time when I was doing the work myself, I fell backwards right smack ontop of my head. Now as a kid, you know how sometimes things make you cry or really shaken, even though they don't hurt? Simply because its confusing or new? Well this fall was very confusing; I felt like I had "Flipped" over the handle bars (note the word usage here). Anyways, it took along time for me to regain my courage to go swing. I finally did, then naturally (being the lazy kid I was) I wanted my dad to push me. "Dad can we go swing?" I'd say, "Sure Britt lets go!" Dad would reply. We'd go out to the swing, I'd get situated, dad would start to push, air blowing through my hair…Life=Perfect. Then Dad would start to joke "Okkk Britt now i'm going to flip you over the swing set bar!..."AHHHH! "FLIPP"?!?!? What?!?!" Suddenly that old feeling of falling off the swing would come back to me, and I'd freak out and get off the swing, or I would yell for dad to "STOP!". I'm sure my Dad was puzzled when I would freak out, (I play the same trick on my younger brother all the time hehe).





rrwerrrrreerrrrrrreeeerrrrthhh------ Fast forward----



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Creationfest 2012, I was helping out as a guest musician for a friend of our bands, and I had been meeting lots of awesome people; Early in the festival I met this really rad dude who was into bands like P.O.D, Brian Head Welch, Love and Death, all those awesome guys. We had talked about a lot of Christian music, and P.O.D dropping a swear word in one of their songs. The next day, after finishing our set, I saw the same guy lingering around the merch booth. Having enjoyed the conversation, I walked up and gave a "Hello! how are you doing man?". "ehhh i'm not doing that good to be honest man" he replied sitting down on one of the tables. Taken aback at his honesty, I took a seat next to him and asked him "how so?". He then started to tell me about an exhibitor that had pulled him aside at the festival based on the tattoos on his arms, and had said some very very judgmental things to him, about him, and about the Christian bands he loved. As he continued to share, I learned a lot about him, and his recent journey to accept christ. Likewise, as he continued to share, my heart became increasingly frustrated at the exhibitor who had pulled him aside, and questioned, judged, and belittled him. "That exhibitor didn't take any time to think about this guys background, what he's been through, the scars he has, or his story! All the exhibitor has done is add hurt to this guys life" I thought to myself as I became angrier with every detail my new friend shared. "Yeah man, I honestly was thinking about heading home, what the exhibitor said really upset me". Boiling angry I instinctively hopped up to my feet. "Where is this guy! I want to have a word with him!" I said, trying to not show the blatant anger. "Uhhh your really gona go talk to him? Do you want some back up with you? He looked like he was gone hit me or something" My new friend said. All of a sudden it struck me, I was guilty of the very thing I was angry about. I wanted to go have it out with this exhibitor, I wanted to stomp on him for his insensitive stomping of my new friend! But God spoke to me, "Hey Britt, don't you think that guy that stomped on your friend has a story and a background too?". Suddenly I realized that I was guilty of the same sin that I was angry about. I judged, and boxed another person in without thinking about their past hurts, hangups, scars and stories. I decided not to go confront this guy, and to instead spend time with my new friend,

 

 

 

 

 

 

rerreerrerererere --Fast Forward to the present----





Now what does Swingsets, and Angry Britt+Angry Exhibitor have in common?

As humans its our nature to classify things (look at adam, he classified all the animals). As Christians, many times we turn this into "Judging" or Boxing people. Now we all know the "pharisee" type of judging we've all been taught it in sunday school. "Just because you have more bibles then timmy doesn't mean your better then he is bla bla bla".  I'm sure none of us is as blatant in our thinking about other people to judge other people based on how many bibles they own ect ect. However classifying people is a form of judgement. The type of judgment Jesus preaches against. For example... "Oh you know, stacey is just that type of kid who is really rambunctious, its probably due to how her parents brought her up, you just gotta yell to get her attention", or "Wow, Roger has a two year old daughter and he isn't married?! He is so awful". Or "Man oh man, is that youth leader snappy angry and judgmental! She must think she is wayyy to good for all of us! (<---thats me saying that btw) Meanwhile Stacey never grew up with any parents, she's a foster child who can't find a home, Your yelling, sharp tone, and snapping at her just remind her of all the years she's spent being shuffled from one failed household to another. Roger, he knows he made a mistake, and he regrets it; however he just came to christ, and he is trying to make as much of it right, as he can. However every little jab, off hand remark, or gossip prayer that is said to him, makes it that much harder for him to get up and make things right.  Then that youth leader I love to quip about….she's grown up in a very legalistic, judgmental household, and its all she has ever known. She really doesn't think she's better, she is just trying to compensate for what she thinks she lacks.



Swing sets, and dad freaking me out.





Just like that exhibitor and I jumped to conclusions without knowing the other persons story or "background", my Dad didn't know that I had a background of fear about flipping around the swing set.



As Christans we many times think we have people "All figured out" and that we are going to "Help" them by correcting them, snapping at them, disciplining them, and admonishing them. We see them sitting on the swing-set asking for a-little help and love to get started, and we take it upon ourselves to "push them", or "stretch them". We poke, prod, snap, yell, and joke about flipping them over the bars, and they stop the swing, get off, and leave; with a fear of returning. 







Everyone does something  or acts a certain way because of a prior experience. Those people who are irritating, annoying, rambunctious, legalistic, judgmental, hurtful, spiteful, angry, bitter, jaded, who have wronged you, gossiped about you,  poked at you, made fun of you,  judged you, been unfair towards you…..have a hurt, insecurity, scar, and story behind why they do all those things. Lets seek to Love, and Understand; before we Classify and Fix.

Love and Understand, before we Classify and Fix.

 

 

We all have a story to tell We all need more grace, we all need some more understanding.