Missing Ladder Rungs

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

“What do you mean the swim ladder is gone?” I paused from scooping a spoonful of pasta salad onto my plate to look at my husband.

“The swim ladder attached to the back of Boaty McBoatface has rungs that fold down so people can climb into the boat from the water. Those rungs are missing.” Contemplating this new information, we both looked toward where Boaty (our circa 1993 Larson ski boat) was bobbing cheerily at the end of the dock.

“When a few people told me how hard it was to get into the boat after tubing, I teased them that they just weren’t doing it right . . .” Aaron trailed off thoughtfully as he reached for a plate and began to follow me down the line of potluck goodness.

We were at a small private lake with friends and friends of friends—many of whom hailed from parts of the world where they didn’t grow up with tubing and water skiing. We’d spent the day pulling them around the lake on whatever they wanted to try. It had been great fun, even with the missing ladder, Aaron’s explanation and apology, and our laughter over people having to be bodily pulled into the boat.

During the long drive home, the missing ladder rungs circled in my thoughts. How often have I insisted (even if only to myself) that something was easy when, in actuality, it was near impossible for someone else? How often have I been unaware of crucial information? How often have I assumed there was a “ladder” when there wasn’t, using that wrong assumption to springboard into judgments about inability, laziness, or ineptness?

Today’s verse is countercultural in its call toward mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Those traits require intentionality and effort as we set aside our default tendencies and reconsider what might be tripping up someone else instead of assuming they, themselves, are the problem.

Gentle conviction in this area is a blessing as I strive to see others as God sees them. And those missing ladder rungs have become a poignant visual reminder not to make assumptions.

Julie

Today’s Act of Gratitude

How might you be making unfair assumptions? Prayerfully ask God to see people and situations through his eyes, thanking him for revealing where you’ve fallen a bit short of Colossians 3:12.