“Did you see the way she looked at me?”

“Did you hear how he said that?”   

“I can’t believe she had the nerve to talk to me that way!”

Sound familiar?  

Have you ever assumed the worst about someone based on your perceived reaction of their words or tone with you?

I know I have.  

I don’t know if it’s human nature or pride.  But it seems easier to assume the worst of someone’s intentions rather than assuming the best.  

In the book of 2 Samuel 10, we see how quickly assuming the worst led to death and destruction.

King Nahash of the Ammonites had died, and his son Hanan had become king.  David had been loyal to King Nahash, so he decided he would show the same loyalty to his son Hanan.

As a gesture of goodwill, King David sent some ambassadors to express sympathy to King Hanan for his father’s death.  But when they got there, Hanan and his commanders assumed they were there to spy on the city in order to conquer it.

Instead of receiving the gesture of sympathy with kindness and gratitude, Hanan humiliated David’s men by shaving their beards and cutting their robes….sending David’s men back in shame.

David was insulted and furious.  He organized the army of Israel and went to war with the Ammonites.  

And many lives were lost as a result.

I imagine this story could have a vastly different ending if Hanan had not assumed the worst of David’s intention.

The dictionary defines assumption as “a thing that is accepted as true or certain to happen, without proof.”

What would happen if we assumed the best instead of the worst?  

What if the way that someone is acting has nothing to do with you, but is really about them?

I want to encourage you to approach this with prayer and try to assume the best.

You might be surprised, God can use you to change a negative situation into a positive one.  God can even use your response to heal a hurting individual.

Always be open and willing to assume the best and respond with love.

-Vijoy