Judge Not: Behind Every Face is a Heart

I love this video. It very effectively illustrates how we can't tell how people are feeling.
Imagine the man with a malignant tumor erupts in anger over the phone with a friend. If the friend knew about the tumor, might he be understanding with the man's anger?

There's a funny story my mom has told to me about her friend (put into my own words):

"Someone once told me that they don't get road rage. Whenever they started to feel angry they would think about why a person would do act that way. Like if someone cut her off, she would think 'Maybe they're having a baby.' When she shared this with me, I determined to do better.
"Surely enough, I was driving sometime later when a car whizzed around me--scaring me out of my wits! As the anger built up, I remembered what I'd learned. So I angrily yelled out the window, 'HAVE A NICE BABY!!'"

I love the line in the song "Lord, I would Follow Thee" that says "In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." We could replace the word 'quiet' with angry, gossiping, vicious, vengeful, unfaithful. Something drove those hearts to become that way. That doesn't mean what the person does is acceptable. It isn't.
But when someone is drowning in sorrow and sin, will it help them to abandon them--to shun them? Will it help them to add your own anger and judgement to the load that's dragging them down? When the woman taken in adultery was taken before Christ did he throw a stone at her? NO!

"He who is without sin, let him first throw the stone." 

"When my son Jack* was 14, he pierced his ears, quit going to seminary, and refused to go to church.
My husband and I tried everything we could think of to change this attitude. Nothing seemed to work. Jack was angry at the world and at us. We came to recognize that all we could do for him was display charity—the pure love we had for him. But we were amazed to see many other people abundantly extend love in ways that significantly helped my son.
Jack’s brothers and sisters were the first to show charity. His older brothers repeatedly invited him to social activities with their friends, even when having a little brother tag along might not have been popular. His older sister lived across the country, and she called him regularly to just chat.
Jack’s grandpa Oscar also made a huge difference. When Jack started choosing a different path, Grandpa Oscar began calling him once a week, and they talked about everything from horses to school to motorcycles.
Next door to us lived the Carlton family. They had a son who liked many of the same activities as Jack: rock climbing, hiking, camping, and ballroom dancing. Although Jack didn’t attend church, the Carltons didn’t exclude him. Rather, they welcomed him into their home, shared meals, and were interested in his activities. Their continued love and support were critical to Jack.
When Jack was 15, he decided to do a project for his Eagle Scout Award. Jack’s Scout leader, Brother White, opened his wood shop and spent hours with Jack and my husband building a large box in which to store food for horses. This helped Jack to earn his Eagle Scout Award.
We have also been blessed with wonderful bishops. Bishop Noble not only visited with Jack in an official capacity but also invited him to go on mule rides and hired him for odd jobs. When a new bishop was called, he recognized Jack’s needs and received inspiration on how best to meet those needs.
The members of our ward also showed great charity. Every time Jack attended church, our neighbors and friends greeted him warmly. They didn’t criticize his long hair or his choices; instead they shook his hand. In the neighborhood they were equally kind. One neighbor called Jack when she had odd jobs. She told me often what a great worker he was and offered to write letters of recommendation for him. Each of these acts of charity helped strengthen Jack’s self-esteem.
Each person who crossed Jack’s path with love played a part in helping him remember who he is—a wonderful son of our Heavenly Father. Collectively, these acts of charity blessed Jack’s life in incredible ways. At the age of 22, Jack decided to begin attending his local student ward. With the help of yet another encouraging bishop, he subsequently received his patriarchal blessing and was ordained to the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood.
I will be forever grateful to the people in our ward, our neighborhood, and our extended family who treated Jack with love. I know that charity, the pure love of Christ, can touch souls when nothing else can."

In contrast, I was at a meeting where a young man who didn't usually attend church showed up. He sat with his family until the bishop asked if he would like to pass the sacrament. The boy explained that he couldn't because he hadn't worn a white shirt and tie--the usual attire for boys participating in the sacred ordinance. The bishop said that he felt it was important that the boy pass the sacrament that day, and he gave him permission.
But when the boy went up by the other youth, they sent him away (and rather rudely) because he didn't have the white shirt and tie. Now maybe these youth were also hurting or were confused, but this boy left the church building that day hurt and embarrassed, and he stayed away for a long time.

There are so many people out there who are drowning. I hope that when you see someone struggling today that you will reach out to them--try to give them some comfort. I know that as we strive to have the charity Jesus Christ has for us we will be able to find it.
I know that Heavenly Father loves us and will be able to show us more love and shower us with more blessings than we could imagine as we move closer to him through our actions and our love.