First Impressions

Here’s a little experiment. Think about the first of each pair of statements for a few seconds and take note of the images that your mind conjures up. Next, read the second statement in the pair and note whether your impressions have changed. Here goes:

A. 1. During a short stay in Paris, I ate in a restaurant on the famous Champs-Elysées.
A. 2. The restaurant I visited there was McDonalds.

B. 1. On many occasions, I have left restaurants without paying for my meal.
B. 2. On all those occasions, one of my friends paid for my meal.

C. 1. During the speech, four people left the room.
C. 2. Two of them ran to the toilets and one woman left to feed her baby.

It’s very easy to make quick judgments that simply do not reflect the whole truth. We judge people based on the few hours we spend with them on Sundays. We judge people based on their job or where they stay and we judge ourselves based on our failures and successes.

The problem is that many of these quick judgments can be very damaging. Falsely judging ourselves can end in pride or low self-esteem. Wrong judgments in others can lead to subtle or not so subtle prejudice.

If we really are to break the barriers between each other and between us and God, we need to start with awareness of the wrong judgments that can so easily turn into prejudice or pride.

For the next week, take note of your first impressions when you meet people in the street or at work. How often do you tend to judge people based on very little evidence? Do you judge based on clothing, skin colour or gender? If you do, ask God to root out and deal with those things in your heart.