Don't Find Fault

Another of my favourite poems. It is written by Vera Barker-Philip. The first time I remember reading it was in one of the offices where I work and I saw it posted on the walls and I now I have it posted up on the walls in my office as a constant reminder.

I think it speaks of the age old lesson of "judge lest ye be judged" and we should always try to understand what someone else is going thru before we cast judgement on them. It is always easy to say what we would do or what should be done in certain circumstances until we find ourselves in similar or worse situations and then our actions may surprise us. So I hope everyone enjoys the poem and take the lessons from it, yes there is more than one lesson here.

Pray don’t find fault with the man who limps
Or stumbles along the road,
Unless you have worn the shoes he wears
Or struggled beneath his load
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,
Though hidden away from view,
And the burden he bears, placed on your back,
May cause you to stumble too.

Don’t sneer at the man who is down today
Unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall, or felt the shame
That only the fallen know.
You may be strong, but still the blows
That were his, if dealt to you
At the self-same time in the self-same way,
May cause you to stagger too.

Don’t be too harsh with the man who sins
Or pelt him with words or stones
Unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure,
That you have no sins of your own.
For who knows, perhaps, if the tempter’s voice
Would whisper softly to you
As it did to him when he went astray
Would cause you to falter too.