Café Comments ~ Snapshots

Greetings Dear Reader,

Back in the time of the dinosaur people collected their pictures in books called photo-albums.  People would share their wedding, honeymoon, or vacation photos by handing you the book.  This was always difficult for me.  If I was not at the event I had problems finding context that worked in my understanding of their adventure.

Snapshots tell us very little about the actual story.  They may tell us much but that does not mean we get the entire significance of the moment.  The same is true for the tiny bits of the life I witness at the café.  I have very little context even with those I encounter weekly. 

This means that I hear only a bit of what is real for people when they interact.  Only some of the things I overhear or witness can be understood with my frame of reference.   I only get a glimpse of personality and character. 

We can infer from language, conversation topics, and food preferences.  By way of example I offer the following:  A lovely young mum comes in with her high school age son.  They eat a healthy breakfast and review his school work.  She is kind, friendly, and outgoing.  He is quiet and studious.  The things that I infer a very good.  She invests her time and attention to her son.  She works with him toward success.  The body language between them is positive. 

After all that observation I do not really know anything about them.  I do not know what their real lives are like or what struggles they face.  I do not understand their prevalent life needs.  My impression of them is good but that does not mean that I know them.

This teaches me why it is so vital not to judge others.  It is a continuing lesson on how little we know of each other.  For good or ill these snapshots do not give me enough information to judge anyone.  They do not put me in any position to approve or condemn.  My only available honorable option is to be kind and show love.

In the snapshots at the café I must always look for the good.  I must be good to others no matter my opinion of their lives.  Most important, I must always filter my opinions, thoughts, and responses through the love that Christ has for each and every soul in the place.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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