He Slammed Into My Car

He slammed into my car! Okay, perhaps slammed is a slight exaggeration. I was sitting at a red light and as usual I was in a bit of a hurry. All of a sudden the car in front of me starts to back up. I see the reverse lights come on and here he comes with no idea I'm behind him. Naturally, I begin honking my horn as I frantically try to put my '99 Corolla in reverse. Unlike the man in front of me, I'm carefully checking my rear view mirror to make sure I'm good to back up. By the time I managed to get into reverse and make sure the coast is clear, it was too late. His newer Corolla hit mine.

To be completely honest, my adrenaline rush greatly exceeded the severity of the accident. The "slamming into my car" was really more of a minimal bump. However, my adrenaline rush did not seem to compare to the one my fellow driver was having. When he bumped into my car, he leaped from his car in complete panic mode. The same panic mode that made him put his car into reverse without any thought about a car being behind him. I was certain that the little bump did absolutely no damage to either car, still I was a little puzzled by his driving skills. I quickly judged this guy as incompetent, intoxicated, or under the influence of something. The whole episode was completely bazaar to me. As he approached my car, I rolled down my window and asked him if he even saw me behind him. He quickly apologized as he frantically pointed to the left.

Then I saw it. I realized that his behavior was actually not at all that bazaar. In my haste, I had not realized the severity of the moment. I was only thinking about myself. I was in a hurry and only needed the red light to change so I could get to my appointment. I was in my own little bubble. I had failed to notice that this man had been stopped on a train track. While waiting for the red light, he was boxed in from the front and back. The crossing lights had not come on yet nor had the crossing arms come down. But sure enough, barrelling down the train track was a massive train. It wasn't until he stepped out of the car that the crossing arms began to come down requiring his adrenaline to spike even more since he noticed that while he was clear of the track, his car was not clear of the crossing arms. Fortunately, he was able to save his car from damage just in the nick of time.

Isn't it funny how we make assessments much of the time without the whole story? I thought this guy had fallen off his rocker. I judged him based on his behavior and my limited perspective. It wasn't until I heard the deafening sound of the train's horn that I knew the whole story. I chuckled as we inspected our cars and assured him that any scratch on my nearly 19-year-old car was minimal compared to what would have happened to his car had he not vacated the railroad track. That railroad track changed the whole situation. It brought clarity to his panic stricken behavior.

Later that day, I began to consider how we often judge people based on a very limited perspective. We see through lenses that rarely show the whole story. We witness behavior and we cast judgment without considering that there just may be more to the story than what we know. From our "bubble," our little world, with a very limited view, we assess things and people convinced our assessment is correct. From my bubble that day, my assessment was this man was a couple fries short of a happy meal. The truth was his behavior was completely consistent with anybody who was trying to escape the tragedy of death by train. The whole story explained the seemingly bazaar behavior.

The whole story will always bring clarity. It will always help to make sense of what often seems like nonsense. I can honestly say that many times I have fallen into the trap of judging people only to find out later that my judgment was premature based on limited information. I have pre-judged people based on what someone else says about them. I have judged "books by their cover." I have judged others behavior without caring enough to hear their story. I cannot tell you the number of times I have had to eat crow once I've discovered more of the story.

I'm sure you can relate. I'm sure, just like me, you've been guilty of jumping to conclusions regarding people without the complete story. The longer I live the more I realize that life has afforded so many people with stories that would bring tears to the toughest among us. Stories that are challenging, heart-breaking, and absolutely horrific. I've heard so many that when someone tells me, "you'll never believe what happened to me," I think to myself, "I bet I will."

We are surrounded by people who have not walked the same road we have walked. We are surrounded by people who have been wounded, hurt, humiliated, disillusioned, abandoned, abused, oppressed, misused, and misunderstood. Before you are quick to throw out the judgment, I challenge you to stop for a moment and consider that there may be a part of the story you are missing. Trust me, everyone's got a railroad track experience back there somewhere and if we'll take the time we'll find it. In the end you'll discover that the small scratch their behavior left on your life can't compare to the destruction they are trying to avoid.

Author: Tim Stone

Tim is the lead pastor at Westlake Fellowship in Montgomery, Texas. If you live in the area, join us Sunday mornings at 10:30 am at 19786 Hwy 105 Suite 120 in Montgomery (beside Magnolia Diner).

www.westlakefellowship.org