Faith | There are parallels between a clear riverbed and clear thoughts about others
My wife and I were hiking alongside the Green River in the Flaming Gorge Recreational Area in northern Utah last year. The clarity of the water was striking. Not a pollutant to be seen.
One could see life in the river as if looking through clear glass. The lush green moss swaying in the current, colorful pebbles in the streambed, prize fish easy to spot, was a beautiful sight to see.
As I walked along the bank feeling gratitude for the clear water, I saw parallels between the clarity of the water and the clarity of our thought when viewing other people.
Inside everyone is a child of God, an individuality that has beauty to praise, talent to recognize and worth to share. But sometimes another person’s innate goodness is hard to see.
Instead of seeing a person worthy of honor, we may see someone to despise, fear, judge or criticize. Like a torrent of mud rushing down a stream, hiding the stream’s beautiful habitat from view, harsh views of people can act like pollutants in thought that keep us from seeing another’s good side.
I thought of a time when I was scheduled to meet with a key official and negotiate an important understanding that would affect many people. I was warned ahead of time that this person was rigid, stubborn, opinionated and hard to get along with. There was little hope of making progress, I was told.
Before I met with this person, I prayed to clear my thought of any negativity about her. I strove to get the “mud” of all the criticisms and judgments I heard about her out of my mind and see her through God’s eye—an eye that looks for the good.
As I prayed, I saw a child of God with an open mind and a desire to do what was best for everyone. I let a spiritual view of her clean up the negative views I had been fearing.
When we met, I was delighted to find a person willing to talk and negotiate in good faith.
I could see how others might interpret her as stubborn, for she was firm in her convictions. However, I refused to see her as stubborn. I looked for an open-minded child of God, an individual receptive to new ideas, which she proved to be. Our meeting was a success, with a positive outcome for everyone.
Jesus Christ taught, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly” (John 7:24, NLT). There is something good to see in everyone, but when the appearance is to the contrary, it can be a call on our prayers to see beyond physical appearances to the goodness within.
As we “clear out the mud,” of prejudice and self-righteous condemnation clouding our view, it’s easier to see that person’s better side and benefit from it.
Like a clear stream of water allows beautiful gems of nature to be seen in its riverbed, a clear spiritual view of our neighbor allows us to see goodness in them that otherwise might not be apparent.
Evan Mehlenbacher is a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science in Richland, and a member of the Christian Science Church in Pasco. Questions and comments should be directed to editor Lucy Luginbill in care of the Tri-City Herald newsroom, 4253 W. 24th Avenue, Kennewick, WA 99338. Or email lluginbill@tricityherald.com.
