Today we ask that you give someone the benefit of the doubt.

What does this mean?

Ordinarily many of you walk through life making snap judgments about other people.  They may be people you know, like family members or co-workers.  Or they may be people you don’t know, like clerks in stores, telemarketers, or drivers in traffic.  They may be politicians, or public figures.

So we ask that one time today, as you notice yourself making a snap judgment about someone — stop and give that person the benefit of the doubt.

If someone is behaving in a way that you find fault with, simply imagine that this person is having a bad day.  Or even a bad month.  Or year.

You know what is it to go through a rough patch.  You know what it’s like to behave in ways you do not feel so proud of, because you are experiencing stress.  Don’t you wish that other people would give you the benefit of the doubt when you behave in those ways?

Today, give this gift to someone else.  And notice how you feel when you do.