It's Kinda Like Christmas

You just never know what is going to be inside that box.....

When items come to the thrift store to be donated, they come in a myriad of containers. Some donations come in trash bags, some in diaper boxes, some in plastic bins with lids, others items stuffed into old luggage. The great team at the donation door receives all these donations, and then takes them to the areas of the store to then be sorted, cleaned and priced. But the packaging is frequently deceiving. Neatly folded clothing in a spotless bin can be covered in stains and really stink. A trash bag full of linens can contain sheets still packaged from the store. A beat up box can hold crystal bowls. You just never know what is coming through the donation door, and judgement can not be made based on the container that it comes in.

 Aren't people like that too? The customer that doesn't look like they have 2 nickels to rub together gives a $5 donation to the store. A  neatly dressed lady asks for food for her children, as she has just used her last paycheck to pay the utility bill. We just never know where someone has come from, and what challenge they are up against. We are not asked to judge or jump to assumptions based on what we see on the outside. As the saying goes, we should not judge a book by its cover. We are just asked to love thy neighbor as ourselves. Sometimes that means not saying what we are thinking, or simply  giving the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes it means saying something when we are shy or just want to walk away. We are not called to offer judgement, but to offer kindness. You will never regret being kind. 

Now, go ahead, offer the smile you would like to recieve, let that driver in on 98, no matter what kind of care they are driving. Remember it is not the outer packaging, it is the contents that really matter.