I received this picture from someone doing a class teaching pastors.
We all see and hear things. Perhaps someone looking at us in a funny way. We then presume something about that….tell ourselves a story. Perhaps we say “I must have upset them, they look mad!” Then we feel a certain way, perhaps we get upset or mad ourselves. Finally we act, we might ignore them, yell at them, or act innapropriately in some other way.
The point is, just because we see something, how we interpret it is the important aspect. In our analogy, maybe the ‘angry’ looking person just got a speeding fine! Maybe it has nothing to do with us at all! Therefore, don’t make assumptions, which may just be a product of our own insecurity. Instead, find out the truth, ask the question, before you start making assumptions.
It may help to remember the line, ‘have an honest conversation’. Ask the extra 10 percent we sometimes don’t, find out the truth! Maybe they are mad with you! But if you don’t know, you can’t do anything about it.