I was driving to work this morning, thinking about the recent events in the legal world, and what those ramifications would mean for a woman who may or may not be guilty of murdering her child. I have my opinions, as we all do....but I won't open up that can of worms. What made me pause was that I realized, with stunning clarity, I am a guilty-until-proven-innocent type of person (herein, GUPI). I believe there are two types of people....the innocent-until-proven-guilty (IUPG), and the previously stated GUPI.
I had to stop and think how I felt about being a self-labeled GUPI, which could also translate to among other things, a cynic, skeptic, or pessimist.
Now, let me interject right there....I am not a negative person who walks around thinking the worst of people. I happen to think I'm pretty friendly (aside from the fact that I seem to clam up vocally and revert to childlike maniacal laughter anytime anyone from the opposite sex tries to talk to me, which I found out from some friends is a more normal occurrence in my gender than I previously thought and makes me feel not so alone in my ridiculousness), but I'm also outgoing once you get to know me. Yes, I have a very large personal space bubble, and tend to be a bit of a germophobe....but I am generally happy with my life, content with the circumstances and play well with others. So when I say I'm a GUPI, that means I sit back and wait to see if the person in front of me has an ulterior motive before I trust them with anything of importance to me. Is this a bad idea? Is this wrong? What would Jesus think of this?
These were all questions I contemplated on the drive to work.
There's an old adage....if it looks like a duck, quack likes a duck, it's probably a duck! I think that is truly one of the most brilliant proverbs ever....because its so true. If someone acts like a jerk, talks like a jerk....he or she is probably a jerk! This isn't rocket science.
So my main question to myself was, is it okay for me to be a GUPI? Is this a spiritual issue that I need to pray about? Does this hinder me from loving people or forgiving them? Is it okay to mentally require that people prove themselves to me?
I'm still pondering all of this and don't really have a solid answer....I guess this is what it means when the Word says you must walk out your salvation. We wrestle with the tough questions so that eventually we can finish the race, and finish it well.
There is nothing wrong with guarding you heart! The only time this could become a problem is if you are too guarded and miss an opportunity with somebody great because of fears/worries. You don't give yourself enough credit sometimes and tend to stand back when you should be taking steps forward! The best thing to remember is God always has everything under control, that helps me through a lot, especially when I think I may be disappointed in somebody or something, but you my sister know all about how God can change things for the better! Its just nice to be reminded of that sometimes!
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