Usually people take lessons before appearing for an
interview, but this one time I got a lesson from an interview.
A few months back I was sitting in an interview panel, but
thankfully on the other side of the table. I had known the panellist sitting
along with me for quite some time, but hadn’t got an opportunity to interact
with him closely till that day. He was fairly senior and a much respected
member of the organization. As we started interviewing candidates, I realized
that the interview was getting over way faster than it should otherwise have
been! After a couple of interviews, I had to intervene and tell that we needed
to spend more time with the candidates to understand them better before taking
a decision. To my surprise, my colleague’s opinion differed. He mentioned that he needed only two minutes
and three questions to find out whether a candidate should be selected or not.
He had done courses in face reading, body language etc etc etc and hence he was
able to judge the candidate’s ability instantly. Thankfully, I hadn’t done any
of those courses and hence depended on the traditional way of talking to the
candidates to know more about them and their competencies. What followed next
was a long discussion between both of us at the end of which we decided to
spend more time with the candidates and so we did.
That evening I thought how judgemental we are! How quick we
are to make our opinions about others and how difficult it is for us to change
it! Thankfully my God was not judgemental. He said, “I did not come to judge the
world, but to save the world.” (John 12:47) Because, if He did, I would have
been condemned straightaway. My name would never have had a chance to enter the
good Book and I wouldn’t have had a chance to experience His love and mercy; I
wouldn’t have had this life to live, I wouldn’t be here writing this blog
right now!
In the time that Jesus spent here on Earth, he made it very
clear that he didn’t go by what the others or society thought about individuals,
he didn’t go by their judgement. He, in fact, spent time with people whom the
society shunned and saved those who were being judged. He walked with illiterate
fishermen whom others gave no respect, He ate with tax collectors whom others
considered to be greedy extortionists, He helped prostitutes whom others wanted
to be killed publicly, He touched and healed lepers whom others cast out as untouchables. In
the eyes of many, these people were not worthy to be with God. But, God chose
to be with them, to walk with them, to touch them, to heal them, to forgive
them, to love them, to save them.
How easy it is for us to form an opinion and judge others
just by a simple glance, just by the way they dress, just by the caste, creed,
region, religion they belong, just by a mistake they would have committed, just
by our limited interactions about them, just by what somebody else has told us
about them. In many case we judge, form negative opinions which can’t be
changed and condemn ones with whom we study, with whom we work, with whom we
live, and in some cases even our own family members, If God doesn’t choose to judge them, who are
we?
“Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another?
Whether he stands or falls, the one concerned is his master. But he will not
fall, for his master is able to keep him standing.” (Romans 14:4)
God Bless!
