The flip side

This morning I was thinking about my post on how other's opinions matter to us, and we (or at least I) don't want people to think badly of me or misunderstand where I was coming from. So that got me thinking about the flip side. What are my opinions of other people, and what am I critical of in others? Am I critical of things without knowing the whole story, and do I criticize just based on the outward actions, or based on the real intentions of the person? I was talking to someone the other day and made the comment - evaluate the person and the actions separately - you don't know how that person got to that place. Sure, you may decide the action is wrong, and you may even need to tell them that, but don't be overly critical and judgemental of that person, because you don't know what was going on inside of them at the time, or the circumstances. I've been feeling a real burden lately to be compassionate towards others and really trying to find out the reason behind why they do certain things. It's kind of a desire to really get to know that person and what makes them tick and what makes them do certain things (both good and bad). Someone in church a few weeks ago preached on how C.S. Lewis' book The Weight of Glory is all about being known by God and that is the weight of glory, knowing that someone knows you inside and out and still loves you intensely anyway. I've never read the book, so I don't know if that's what it's really about, but that is such a great thought, and makes me want to live my life in such a way that I get to know people and love them for who they are and not reject them or judge them for things they do. It's so hard to do sometimes (especially at work, where it seems like everyone is critical!) but I think in the end it's the right and the best thing to do.