Hello everyone and happy Friday!
I wanted to talk today about judgement. Many times in life we have to make judgements about situations and our life direction. We may also have to judge the character of people we know well – to determine a course of action or inaction for ourselves. I had to do this earlier this year to eliminate some evil things and people from my life. I knew the person well enough to know I did not want to continue to go in the same direction they were going; and that they nor their companions were good for me. Using a judgement call to do what I have just described protects us from evil – is does not make us judgmental.
However, what happens when we make or pass judgements on those we don’t know well? What happens when we make or pass judgements on those whose hearts we don’t know or those who come from a different placed in life than we do?
First of all, we put them in a box. We basically tell ourselves and them subconsciously that they can never be trusted to be better or do better. We make assumptions based on limited information or even a first meeting. We tell them and ourselves, they can’t change. That’s a pretty heavy load to put on someone’s shoulders. I must say I have done this in life only to find out later I was wrong and had to back pedal. It hurts my heart when I think of it even now.
Secondly, we assure ourselves we have everything in our lives together and that produces arrogance. We can’t see the log in our own eye but we point out the speck in another’s eye. We convince ourselves we are invincible and completely immune to problems or temptations. This is what I like to the call the “thank-God-I’m-not-like-them-syndrome.” This usually precedes a big fall – pride comes before a fall.
Lastly, we actually close ourselves off to loving someone God may have put in our life path to love on. We pick and choose who to love in this way and that is not the love of God. He does not pick and choose, why should we? He will not tolerate evil, he does not withhold love because he does not like a personality quirk. Do you see the difference?
Judging those we don’t know can take its toll both on us and them. They will feel unwanted and rejected. Our hearts will grow smaller and colder. I don’t want a small, cold heart. I don’t want to make a person feel unwanted or rejected either. If you have done this like I have before, forgive yourself and ask God for forgiveness – he readily forgives. Choose to get to know people and their hearts. Choose to love them – and you don’t have to agree on everything either. Choose to know their story. It will change your heart and it will grow your heart. Loving them will change their heart and grow their heart.
Love will always be greater than judgement and no greater love is there than the Father’s love for us!
Choose love. Until next time, Elizabeth