No bad people, just bad choices

Once in a while you hear something. Probably a word or a phrase you've heard before but this time it comes like a shaft of light, a sonic boom, blowing away the cobwebs you hadn't even realised were cluttering your mind.

It was like that for me this morning when a friend was telling about a series of seminars he was involved in running for some men preparing for release from prison. 'What's that like', I asked, my mind flashing me images of scary villains with striped pajama type clothing, a black ball and chain, stubbly chins and facial scars.

"Oh, mainly nice people who've just made bad choices," he said with out a pause - then continued right on in to his story.

'The thing we are trying to get through to them' he said, 'is that even though they may have made bad choices in the past, they are only one decision away from putting all that behind them, if they want to.'

No bad people, only good people who have made bad choices. . . . . .

No bad people, only good people who have made bad choices!

It made me think how quick we are to label someone bad. To judge them, rather than their actions. To distance and disassociate ourselves from them because they're not like us.

But they are just like us. Good people. It's just that some of us have made better choices than others.

At least, for my sake, I hope that's the rationale God will adopt when he and I eventually meet up.

What do you think?