Plum Picking and Humility

 As we (myself and two other interns) were walking back from our volunteer site, a man in the neighborhood was calling out to us to get our attention.  Because the man was persistent and kept calling us to come over to him, we finally decided to listen to what he was saying.  I was surprised and amazed when we walked over to a smiling old man who asked if we wanted to pick plums in his backyard.  We agreed but I was still extremely hesitant.  He gave us a plastic bag and gestured to the multiple plum trees in his backyard.  We began to pick plums while also trying to have a conversation with the old man.  He could barely speak any English but we managed to sort of communicate.  We learned that his wife was in the hospital and I wondered when the last time was that he had an actual conversation.  Once we were finished, we thanked him, said our goodbyes and left, walking out of his gate with a very different mindset than when we had come in.  I regretted my harsh judgment and the fact that I had already decided who he was before he could show me.  Through this experience God is definitely challenging me to let go of the biases and judgments that I so quickly attach to everything and everyone and to instead adopt a posture of humility and love.