The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.

Proverbs 18:17 NKJV

Two men, one a well-dressed elderly man and another young man with baggy unkept clothes, came to court and stood in front of a Judge. The Judge looked over the case of vandalism and a refusal to compensate. After reading, the Judge allowed the men to state their cases. Quickly the old man began to speak. 

“Your Honor, after a long tiring day at work, I came home and went to the bathroom. Then I suddenly got a notification on my phone that someone was trying to get into my car. I went out to see my neighbor trying to get into my car. I thought that it was a simple mistake.” The elderly man’s recountal was interrupted by a loud scoff from the young man. The Judge looked at the young man who looked away. With a harrumph, the elderly man continued.

“So I didn’t press charges and everything was fine until I found out that he damaged my car’s keyhole. It needs specialty parts that cost a lot of money. It’s been hard traveling to and from work without my car I can’t get in, and my days are longer than ever. Also, I am very limited in doing my daily activities outside of work because again, I can’t get into my car. I am not asking for much but compensation for the damages and for this man to pay for the damage he caused.” The old man stated. The Judge hummed and looked at the young man.

“Would you like to state your case, sir?”

“I just got one question for this guy, sir.” The young man glared at the elderly one. “Where did ya you park your car, old man?”

“That doesn’t matter.” The old man waved the question away. “You damaged my property, hoodlum, and now you have to be held accountable for it.”

The young man turned red. “How about you be accountable for your car that was on top of my son’s bike in front of my house, on my freaking sidewalk?” 

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Real Talk:

Short story, and while dramatic, this is something we face every day. We are bombarded with stories that beg for our sympathy, vote, and support. Whether personal, professional, or societal, sometimes we feel like we’re on a jury. Listening to this story to find out who’s guilty and who’s innocent. Yet, there are two things to note:

There are multiple sides to every story.

And we have our own biases so we cannot be a fair Judge.

We want to be. We can strive to listen carefully without judgment, maybe even be able to as we say play “devil’s advocate” (which is ironic because we say that for sticking up for the other side when the devil is the accuser of brother). But at the end of the day, we only have two eyes and two ears. We cannot see and hear everything in a story.

But we can admit our limitations to that. We can admit that the first story we hear may sound good, or even tug at our heartstrings. We can admit that we are wrong or that we’re biased. We can ask God for help and truth. 

Yes, it’s easy to get caught up in the feeling of being in a courtroom. Whether we’re on the jury’s seat, on the witness stand, on the defense, or even on the offense, it can feel like we are in a legal battle. But guess what, no matter the battle, legal or not, God already won it and He’s the Judge. Not us, no matter what seat we’re in, or put ourselves in. God is a righteous, just, and victorious judge. So we might as well ask Him for His help and His viewpoint. Let’s be on His side with whatever story is presented to us.