“There really is no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus, judge not.”
Come Follow Me Daily
I was in a science class and my teacher told us to write down everything that he did.
He got a ladder. He climbed up the ladder. He got a balloon. He went under the table. We heard a pop.
He asked me to read my writing on the events that occurred.
Easy—“You climbed the ladder, got the red balloon, went under the table, and popped the balloon.”
He then proceeded to blow middle school Mary’s mind by pulling out the red balloon, not popped. Then, he pulled out a popped blue balloon, which was under the table the whole time.
We as human beings naturally want to make sense of the world. We fill in blanks with narratives that make sense to us. We do the same thing in relationships and with the scriptures.
Unfortunately, our narratives are not always right.
I look at the story of Hagar and Ishmael. It is a hard story, filled with imperfect people making imperfect decisions and it is easy for us to start filling in the narrative and assigning motives.
Ishmael could look jealous.
Sarah could look spiteful.
Abraham could look like a push over.
Hagar could look like a victim.
Relationships could look completely estranged.
But when Abraham died, Ishmael was there with Isaac to bury their father (Gen 25:9).
Relationships are not typically as black and white as the seem. The narratives that we create for others are rarely fully correct.
But here is what we know for sure: God showed up in each of their stories, despite their imperfections.
He was with Abraham, reassuring him that Ishmael would be ok. (Gen 21:13)
He was there with Sarah, helping her husband understand her point of view (v. 12)
He was there with Ishmael, hearing his prayer and making him a great nation (v. 17)
He was there with Hagar, sending an angel to comfort her and open her eyes (v. 19)
As President Monson said, “There really is no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone […] we find reason to criticize. Thus, judge not.”
There is a lot happening “under the table,” as my science teacher would say.
We don’t always know their narrative.
But God does, perfectly.
He loves them and you, perfectly.
And will show up in each of our story.