The View from Where I Sit

I did something this week I’ve never, ever done in my life.

I decorated the house for Christmas…before Thanksgiving.

For shame right?

Well, I started looking at the calendar and the upcoming weeks are busy ones. So I thought, why not? I have a couple of hours right now, why not get this job over with?

Admittedly, I’ve always wondered about people who put up their holiday decorations too early (or keep them up too late)…but once I talked myself into the logic of doing so, I broke my own rule of standard. But I figured I could live with it because I had a good reason for doing so.

Which got me thinking about how easy it is to assume we know why other people are doing what they do or thinking what they think. But the truth is, most of the time, we have no idea. No accurate idea that is. We just assume…and often, we assume the worst. Shame on us.

Earlier this week I had an appointment with a gal that I thought I knew well. Was I ever mistaken. After talking with her for almost three hours, only then, did I realize how much I had assumed about her, her life, her family, her work, her passion/interests, her world and the way she sees it.

I left that meeting feeling ashamed of myself for once again assuming that the view from where I sit is the right, accurate, best one.

I suppose I could give example after example of this…but I’ll leave you with single statement from Proverbs, one that I return to time after time.

The truth is…you get what you look for. No matter where you walk, stand, or sit.

He who seeks good finds goodwill… Proverbs 11:27

And who among us doesn’t want or need some goodwill?