Savages

Confession: I love Disney movies. When I was younger, I used to dream about growing up to be the voice of a Disney princess someday. I mean, that is every young girl's dream, right? Anyway, this evening we watched one of the classics, Pocahontas. That movie has all the elements of a good Disney cartoon: action, cute animals, and romance.

One of the key plot points, though, is the animosity between the natives and the new white settlers. They even sing this (fantastic) song about how much they hate each other called "Savages." Both sides accuse the other of being savages for the way they act. One of the lines is, "They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil!" It sounds ridiculous, right? Why can't these guys just get along? But the thing is, how many times do we all do that on a daily basis? Maybe we don't grab our pitchforks and attack people, but we do judge people who are different than us based solely on their appearance, or something superficial.

I've heard it said before that unless you have a gavel, you shouldn't be judging others. Jesus warns us against doing just that in Matthew 7:1-3, "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?" So, the next time you make a quick assessment of someone before you really get to know them, stop and think about Pocahontas and her people. You wouldn't want to be a savage, right?