Don’t Jump to Conclusions – Jump to Grace
Edward stood in the long line outside, waiting with the others to sign up for gifts for his kids.
He was young, maybe 25. Black hair, brown skin, dark eyes. His accent was Hispanic.
As he watched us, a group of white ladies, he noticed we were clearly struggling to communicate clearly with other Hispanic families in line. Between our spotty Spanish and their limited English, we weren’t bridging the communication gap very well.
So when it was my turn to sign up Edward, he offered me something unexpected. “I can speak both English and Spanish,” he said. “If you need me to help translate, I’m available.”
Relieved, I immediately answered, “Yes, please!” I started asking him how to say this and that, grateful for his help. As he answered, he explained subtle differences between Guatemalan Spanish and Mexican Spanish.
His knowledge was fascinating. So I asked, “Where are you from?”, wondering which form of Spanish was his native tongue.
His answer caught me off guard.
“I am an American.”
Oh. Of course. But it was too late—my incorrect assumption had already been blurted out.
We moved on, continuing to talk and work, but my mind kept circling back to that moment. Why had I asked where he was from? What assumptions had I made based on how he looked and sounded?
Finally, after my third or fourth trip to ask Edward a translation question, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I apologized.
“I feel bad I asked where you were from. I just assumed you weren’t from here. I am so sorry.”
Edward just laughed. “I get that all the time,” he said.
But still I couldn’t shake the feeling of how quickly I’d made a judgment about him.
It’s so easy to jump to conclusions, whether about ethnicity or income or circumstances.
Just because someone doesn’t look like me or sound like me doesn’t mean that he’s not like me. Edward and I likely had more in common, both as American citizens and as human beings, than we had differences.
Maybe we all look a little different on our outsides so we’ll take a closer look at our insides.
- To spot our similarities
- To discover our distinctions
- To practice our principles
I was thankful for Edward’s grace. He gave it freely. So I accepted it freely.
And I haven’t forgotten it. I want to learn from it.
In the future, I want to jump quicker to grace and tread slower to conclusions.
* * *
When have you jumped too quickly to the wrong conclusion? When have you been given grace? Please share in the comments.
revised from the archives
This is a beautiful example of grace and a lesson we all learn from, Lisa. So many times we do jump to assumptions. I desire to give grace since I need it so much myself. Edward provided a picture of grace. And so did Christ on the cross.
Your personal experience shared here is so inspiring, Lisa. Yes, we can be way too quick to make assumptions about another person just because of their looks or the way they talk. May we remember that God doesn’t see the outside appearance, but His focus is on the heart. Let us not be stingy with our grace.
Blessings!
Good post: it made me think about my assumptions about people!
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wow what a lesson and one I would have jump to also. Assuming is oh so easy isn’t it? I love how you changed this to jump to grace. I will remember that!