Showing Compassion

Well, this isn't my story, but it has changed how I "try" to view other people and situations. So I changed the name, but if you recognize it and want the post deleted just let me know. and I may not have all the minor details right.

This all happened in a few brief moments while sitting at "the" (one and only) stop light in Ephraim. Ann was sitting in her car as the second vehicle in line waiting at the stop light. When the light turned green the car in front of Ann did not move. She was waiting patiently for the person in the vehicle to move. Thinking they just weren't paying attention. The car behind Ann started honking. Can you believe it HONKING! in EPHRAIM! nobody honks in Ephraim, that is just plain RUDE! So Ann turned around and gave the driver behind her a dirty look. How could this driver be so inconsiderate, after all the person in the front car probably just forgot.
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A couple days later at the local market, a man came up to Ann. She recognized that she knew him. He proceeded to apologize for honking that day on the street, and then told her that his wife was in labor and they were on their way to the hospital. The car in the front was just sitting there, and he didn't know what to do. A honk would get the attention of the driver so they could all be on their way.

So Ann was showing complete compassion for the driver in front of her, but she was not even thinking of the driver behind her. I think this is so easy. It is so easy to be understanding of the person who is struggling with addictions or the wife whose husband is cheating on her. It is not as easy to be understanding of the woman who seems to have it all together. We expect that woman to be able to do everything. For the addict, the person who is struggling, or even the one who is constantly letting us down, we can be understanding or "we just expect that from them", but when it comes to the loyal one who seems to have a happy life and always be there to help. We sometimes forget that he/she is having challenges too. We are quick to judge in the way we think they should act.

Anyway, I hope I haven't offended anyone. I feel like I have always tried to look at all views of things, but I have really taken this story to heart and have tried to look behind me as well. Sometimes when people are so understanding and I am not, I have taken offense to what they say. Probably because I have felt guilty for my own feelings. I did not want to make anyone feel angry at me. I just wanted to share my new views. :)