However, during our Oslo walking tour the following day, we learned the story behind the tiger. A Norwegian poet had written about a fight between a tiger and a horse in his poem, “Sidste Sang.” The horse represented the safe countryside, while the tiger stood for the dangerous city. The poem, published in 1870, inspired Oslo’s nickname, “The Tiger City.” In this case, the danger of the tiger/city is meant to be interpreted more as excitement. And so, this bronze statue was a gift commemorating Oslo’s 1,000 year anniversary. Pretty cool, right? All of a sudden, a statue that hadn’t garnered much attention from me suddenly carried more meaningful significance. And while my initial reaction was to glance at it and keep on walking, now I found myself photographing it from a variety of angles so I could permanently store it with my memories from the trip. 

Another example! Several days later, we arrived in Helsinki, Finland, with just enough time to wander around and explore a bit before sunset. Before long, we found ourselves at Market Square. This cool area of the city is right along the city’s South Harbour. The square includes stately government buildings, a hubbub of water traffic activity, a historic public memorial, a nearby park, and views of an extremely impressive cathedral. As we walked around, I was, of course, trying to take some cool pictures of the general surroundings and atmosphere of Market Square, and I distinctly remember being annoyed by the tacky orange and white tents set up in the midst of everything. They were ruining my pictures! No matter how I angled my camera, those darn tents just kept getting in the way. I assumed these tents were temporary and had been set up for some sort of festival/event that was happening that day, but when our walking tour arrived in Market Square the next morning, I found out otherwise. To my surprise, I learned that the orange and white tents are actually the distinguishing feature of Market Square! White tents signified handicrafts and souvenirs being sold, while orange tents sold traditional Finnish food dishes and treats. It is Helsinki’s most famous market! And to think I was bothered because the tents were messing up my photos… Oops. 

I could list many more examples of similar discoveries made throughout the trip. Bottom line, I was reminded that once you learn the history and story behind something, it can completely change your perspective of that thing/building/statue/etc. You know what’s coming next…. Yep, the exact same principle holds true when it comes to people. That quiet coworker who seems disrespectfully uninterested in everything? Maybe she’s shy because she shared her opinion once and was chastised by somebody for it. Or the naughty child creating a scene in the grocery store aisle? For all you know, she could be acting out because she’s dealing with the loss of a parent. What about your waitress who comes across so grumpy? Perhaps she dealt with an abusive family member on her way to work this morning. 

You’ve surely heard the phrase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The same can be said about people! There’s a similar (anonymous) quote that says, “Never judge someone without knowing the whole story. You may think you understand, but you don’t.”

The Bible presents this same challenge to us, as well—with a twist! Whenever Scripture instructs us not to judge, it often couples that instruction with a reminder that we’re all on the same human playing field. Nobody is perfect, so who is one to step up and judge another? Here’s one of the most well known examples:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. -Matthew 7:1-5

No matter what the reason, I think we can all agree that making judgments and shallow conclusions about people is not something God calls us to do. First and foremost, we are in no elevated position to do such a thing. Only God is the perfect, rightful judge! But also, when our judgments impact the way we think about and treat someone, we ought to remember that we may not know the whole story. Perhaps that person is hurting, and perhaps they just need some genuine love and empathy. 

Is somebody coming to your mind right now? A person in your life who you’ve been quick to assess but slow to understand? What steps can you take to get to know that person on a deeper level? …to learn about his or her story? My camera currently holds precious pictures of a bronze tiger from Oslo and a slew of bright orange and white tents in Helsinki because I had the opportunity to hear the stories and the meaning behind them. Just think what could happen if you set aside any quick conclusions and instead moved forward with humble, open-minded and kind thoughtfulness and interest. Will you accept the challenge?