We’ve all heard the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

I also read these wise words, “Before you judge my life, my past, my character … walk in my shoes, walk the path I have travelled. Live my sorrow, my doubts, my fear, my pain, my laughter. Remember, everyone has a story. When you’ve lived my life, then you can judge me.” – Simply put, we cannot live another person’s life, so we are not to judge.

I grew up in a very judgmental atmosphere. In hindsight, I can see that it came from a deep sense of insecurity, especially within my dad, who never knew who his father was.

My dad had a very tough upbringing. Thankfully, he came to know the Lord, but he still carried a chip on his shoulder along with a very judgmental attitude. He judged people based on how they looked, their weight, or their religion. He did not like it if anyone had a different opinion from his. Arguing with my dad was not an option. My dad used his physical strength to prove some points, which he would have labelled as teasing. If he thought I had gained a little weight, he would grab my leg and squeeze hard, to the point that I was close to tears and say, “Putting on a little extra layer, aren’t we?” I became very concerned about my weight. I never truly realized that it would impact me for most of my life.

Raising my own family was pure joy and a delight to my soul. I thought I would do much better at raising my girls compared to my upbringing, not that it was all bad, because it wasn’t. Let’s be honest, we all do damage to our children, which is often a result of the baggage we never fully unpack. When my daughters went through the awkward pre-teen years, when girls' bodies naturally change, I tried my best to model and project a healthy lifestyle. What they interpreted was something different. Yes, I caused hurt and damage to their tender hearts. I can never change the past, although we have talked about it, and I have tried my best to learn from my mistakes and apologize.

It took a lifetime for me to start seeing people as God sees them. I see people of all shapes, sizes and colours, and I love them. I see people of Christian faith, people of differing faith, or people of no faith, and I love them. I see people who are wealthy, poor, beautiful, broken, young, old, or anywhere in between, and I love them. I love them, even when I don’t understand.

I still get tripped up at times, and it’s then that I ask Jesus to help me see and love as He loves. Volunteering with the special needs community has influenced my perspective and understanding of unconditional love. I now recognize that God makes all people in His image, and He does so in a variety of ways. Why did it take me so long to get here? Well, it’s not an excuse, but a father was squeezing this little girl’s leg, squeezing hard.

My Heavenly Father heals all past wounds, and He tells me, “For you formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139: 13-15). Our great Creator God made us each so uniquely and wonderfully different. It makes me think of that beautiful line from one of my all-time favourite songs …, “And I say to myself, what a wonderful world!”

Wouldn’t it be boring if we were all the same? If we looked alike, talked alike, dressed alike, and thought alike? That would not make up a very wonderful or interesting world, now, would it?

I hear babies cry,
I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

What a Wonderful World lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

I pray that each successive generation will learn much more than I’ll ever know. I pray that people will love and accept one another without judgment.

May God give us grace to see through the lens of love, remembering that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

I pray that God will continue to grow me in this area so that I love and care for others as the representative hands, feet and heart of Jesus.

I pray that it will indeed someday be a wonderful world.

Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.