The recipe called for fresh ginger. I could have substituted ground ginger, but for some strange reason, I felt compelled to follow the directions exactly.
Why am I making all this fuss? I thought as I drove to the store. I would soon find out.
I had never seen fresh ginger before, so I had to read the produce signs to find it. I did a double take when I spotted the price of $2.49 a pound. But I was even more shocked when I saw the ginger itself. It looked grotesque. I almost changed my mind about buying it, but I selected a few pieces and headed for home.
Back in my kitchen, as I started to peel the ginger, a delightful aroma came forth. How deceiving, I thought. Its ugly exterior has camouflaged its fragrant interior.
Things came into focus. God was using this experience to teach me a lesson. Don’t judge. He knew I always equated outer beauty with greater happiness and pleasure.
For a moment, my mind drifted back to several events in the past. I recalled the vacation my family spent at a beautiful motel. Yet when I thought about it now, I realized we had more fun on our camping trip in the rain—in a tent. I also thought of our large home which I was sure would make me happier than our smaller one. But looking back, I knew nothing could ever replace the twenty years of wonderful memories we spent in our first tiny home.
I remembered the Thanksgiving Mom and Dad took Jim and me and our five boys to a restaurant so I wouldn't have to cook. But even that couldn't hold a candle to the meals we enjoyed crowded around our small dining room table.
God seemed to be telling me to look at things from His perspective … from within … from the heart. I knew it would be hard for me to change my habits after so many years of judging people and things by their external appearances, but I decided to try.
I still have to watch what I say before jumping to conclusions, but through the Lord's help, I am making significant progress.
How do you judge others?
(Photo courtesy of morguefile and modnar.)
(For more devotions, visit us at www.christiandevotions.us.)
Frances Gregory Pasch’s devotions and poems have been published hundreds of times in devotional booklets, magazines, and Sunday School papers since 1985. She has been leading a women Christian writers’ group since 1991. Her book, Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life Through Devotions and Poetry, was recently published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Frances has been married to her husband Jim since 1958. They have five sons and nine grandchildren. Contact her at www.francesgregorypasch.com.