At Least Try on the Shoes
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew7:3, NIV)
I’ve made a mistake but I can’t truly make it right with the other person. You see, I have a very dear friend, Martin, who had to reprimand his employee and it was an awkward situation. My friend used to call me all the way from Florida and off-load with this guy’s antics. Yearly reviews came around and I prayed that Martin would find the right words to say.
What I didn’t pray for was the man receiving this evaluation. The list was lengthy including tardiness, too much time on the cell phone, taking lunch breaks that were too long, leaving early without notice and being an extreme hot-head. I told Martin several times that there must be something seriously wrong at home. I also told him that the anger issues were more troublesome than the other irritating behaviors.
When the evaluation was finished, I anxiously awaited a call. The call did not come that day or even the next. My thoughts immediately went to the worst-case scenario; Martin lay in a morgue somewhere because his employee offed him.
Finally, I texted and Martin replied, “Can’t talk now. I’ll call tonight.” Whew, okay, so at least I knew he was alive. I could live with that. Late in the evening, long past my bedtime, my phone vibrated. I didn’t quite know what to say. He started the conversation.
“You will never guess what I learned about this guy. He has twin girls at home and his wife has cancer. Her mother lives there too because she had a stroke and can’t get around very well. Poor guy! He is really struggling to even get to work. Sometimes his aides don’t show up on time, the girls have to be dropped off at day care and his mornings are…”
I could not listen to any more. My heart began to melt and all of a sudden, in my mind I saw a pair of shoes. A voice deep inside said, “Go ahead, at least try on his shoes.”
No, I knew I would not last a day carrying his load. I felt ashamed. Martin must have noticed my silence and took over the conversation.
“I have put together a plan to help him with all these tasks. I think he will work out just fine. You know, when I told him about it, the guy started crying. I know I am doing the right thing. Don’t you think so, Mo? If you want to help, send a check. I know he’d appreciate anything.”