The Judge
Judgment! This word can sometimes seem like a loaded cannon. Historically, humans prefer to be on one side of this word versus the other. Passing judgment at one point was all the rage. It created social status and social classes placing the "less than" at the bottom of the barrel while the rich and famous set the tone for what was considered "acceptable behavior" and what was not. To be honest, the practice of passing judgment has not been banished from our society, it has simply taken on a different form. Judgment has now made its very cozy home in social media. Let's face it, we have all gone on FB or IG, looked at the individuals on our timeline, and made a decision about who they are based on what we see. And we all know how judgment has affected religion 🙄. This innate act has done a number on religion, but how much damage has it really done?
I believe that "judgment" has had a deadly impact on Christianity. In the Christian faith, many have used the bible as a weapon. We have taken scripture and used it to condemn the ones we feel are not living up to standards we have cherry-picked out of the bible. How often have you heard the term "I don't do organized religion" or "Christians are too judgemental". In today's society, it is not uncommon for someone to not believe in Christ. People are running away by the thousands because traditionally Christianity has been presented as a list of rules and requirements and the people enforcing them were hypocrites. I believe this is where the "church" has failed our world. Unfortunately, the voices that preached rules were very big and as a result, the fundamental characteristics of love and grace were not taught.
I was doing my devotion one day and came across a passage of scripture Matthew 7:1-5, and in a nutshell, it says don't judge others because the same measure you've judged, you will also be judged. It also goes along to say "why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have an entire log in your own". As I read this scripture I thought how relevant these words are. Too often (especially in the "church") we worry about "helping" someone with their sin when we have not addressed our own. We call ourselves trying to "save" people and point them to God all the while ignoring the liars, cheaters, and corrupt people in our own circles. It's time to do away with these horrible practices! Judgment is a horrible building tool yet we use it to guide our lives. I personally believe that judgment has become a coping mechanism to deflect from all of the things we refuse to address in our own lives.
Think about it! It is super easy to tell someone else they have an eating problem all the while ignoring the Double Big Mac you secretly scarfed down in the car. When we refuse to address the issues in our own lives we pick up the glasses of judgment and wear them as if they are vital for proper sight. One of my favorite biblical examples of this is in 2 Samuel 12 (please read this in your spare time it's a GREAT story). King David has just slept with a man's wife, got her pregnant, and then had the husband sent to the front line of war to be killed to cover up HIS mistake. In 2 Sam 12, the prophet Nathan had to get on David. He used the analogy of a rich man and a poor man. The rich man owned a large herd of cattle and sheep while the poor man only had one lamb that he cared very deeply for. One day to impress a visitor the rich man took the poor man's lamb to kill and serve his guest instead of one from his own inventory. As the story comes to its end King David is furious exclaiming that the rich man should be killed, and Nathan says to David "Bro! you're the rich man in this story!" I'm sure that was probably a hard pill to swallow for King David. Nathan goes on to tell David what the Lord says about his wrongdoing and his consequences. I bring all of this up to show how easy it was for David to forget all that he had done and immediately judge the rich man in the story. The lens of judgment is REAL and has crippled us for far too long.
How can we expect real impact and change when we use God's word like a dagger to stab at all of the things I am sure people are insecure about anyway. We were never given the authority to judge another person. The only human to ever have that authority is also the only one who can actually save us as well, and his name is JESUS! God commands us to simply LOVE our neighbor that's it. Think about it, Few people are judged into life-change, but many are loved into it.
For too long we have lived in a world full of religious judgment, and in my eyes, it's time to move away from that unhealthy practice and do The Work to close the gap. How do we put down the hammer of judgment and rebuild with tools of love, grace, and forgiveness? The first step is to address the man in the mirror (thank's MJ). To truly learn to love and not judge we've got to do The Work within ourselves. Some of us hate our faults, and it is easier to cast a stone at someone else, but true healing comes when you address all of the ugly things hidden in your heart. This week join me as I dig into my heart to address my mess. Now, things don't just happen overnight. I plan to start by journaling about some of the things I don't feel comfortable speaking out loud. For you, it may simply be taking a moment to seek God about The Work that you have to do to be healed. However you choose to seek God this week remember that you are not alone, so Let's Get This Work TOGETHER!
