I read a few devotional books in the mornings as I do my quiet time. Heaven forbid that I should just stick to one, right? I started one some time ago and I am determined to finish it, although it will be a few more weeks before I do. I started a couple others because they were '40 days' or for Lent - which is the season between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday. I found it interesting that two or more of the devotionals today hit on judgement. Or rather, judging others. Ouch.
How many times do we do that? I will admit that I have judged people - usually wrongfully. And then I beat myself up because I 'imagined' their reasons for doing things or I 'imagined' the possibilities of what caused it to happen. Sometimes they do not leave anything to the imagination. And I will leave that there. But with saying that, I have paused to think about the times I have judged someone - rightfully - or wrongfully.
Have you stopped to think that we possibly judge others because of things within ourselves? Think about it. We would never be so stupid as to.... well, you can fill in the blank, and if you are a relative, you can just imagine, due to what transpired last night, stupidity. Alcohol can cause stupidity - and it often does in this case. But there are always consequences to stupidity. I can only pray that God will open their eyes to see what they have become. I'm not judging; it breaks my heart to hear about such things. And when a mother's heart is broken, she prays.
Then I read a son's blog about an incident that happened to him, uncalled for, totally off the wall, based on an accusation and not for anything he did. He is suffering the consequences of that incident. Mom can only pray. Do I want to get my hands on the person who did something? Well, let me rephrase that. Do I want to pray fire and damnation on the one who did this? Well, yeah. My mama bear is coming out. But all I can do is pray.
I think of the times I've passed judgement on hubby, on my sister, on my children, on myself. I have to get after hubby when he does something and then calls himself stupid of an idiot. Do NOT agree with that statement. When we point our finger at one person, we have three pointing back at us. The more we call ourselves stupid or lazy, ugly or whatever.... we are passing judgement upon ourselves, and our mind hangs on to that word. It will keep coming back to us every time we do something that we could have done better. Does that make sense?
God and I spent some time this morning rehashing the things that came to my mind on judgement. There is a scripture that talks about judgement. Actually, there are several, but here is one that comes to mind.
Matthew 7:1-3 (NIV): Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way that you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
That's a definite 'ouch'. Yes, sometimes our 'judgement' is correct and the best way to handle that is to stay away from that person; to not engage in things that would draw that conflict into judgement. As in some of my 'judgements' that I have placed in here over the years, and I don't need to remind you of what they are, some people we need to back away from. It doesn't mean you can't be 'friends', just not 'good friends'. It doesn't mean that you have to constantly include them in your life. You don't. People who do things that you do not approve of or do a lot of stupid things that cause us to judge them, we need to pray for them. Pray that their eyes will be opened and they will see what they have become. No one likes to be around stupid people, right? Am I judging again? Perhaps. Lord, please forgive me.
(delete). Sigh. I was giving you an example, but I don't need to. I think you get the gist of what I am saying. Some people get angry with you for doing the right thing and they weren't included. Some people will say words of untruth and anger - because they are jealous of you doing what is right and doing good. It took me years to figure out why some people weren't happy for me when I achieved some things. I've learned a lot over the past few years. Jealousy is an ugly thing and causes one to judge others because 'we' are not like 'them' and let them be the center of our lives. Nope, not going to happen. Oh the things I could say - but I won't. I don't need to have you judging something that happened to me. Lord knows, I won't share much that I want to be judged on!
I will be the first person to admit that I am not perfect. I make mistakes all the time. I say things I shouldn't say. I have actions that I shouldn't take. I get angry. I desire to 'get even'. I demand justice. I am the worst of the worst. But I am forgiven. Because of the love of our Heavenly Father, He sent His one and only Son to die for me. And for you. And because of that sacrifice, it is there free to me to accept forgiveness. And it's free to you. We only need to accept it. When we fall, we seek forgiveness; we don't keep falling. Jesus will help us break any habits, He will help us clean up, He will set our minds on things that are good. But we have to want it bad enough. And I do. He did a pretty good job of cleaning me up. There was a time in my life I was a real mess. Only I didn't know it at the time. Only Jesus could help me. And when I asked Him to, He did.
We've often heard the statement 'don't judge someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes'. Or something like that. Some have unhappy marriages, so they turn to other things to numb the pain. Some have failures in their life that they won't admit to and seek other ways to 'forget' the failure, to push away the pain. Unfortunately, the ways some do that only hurts those they say they love the most.
One of my greatest pains is that I didn't teach my children to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and body. They learned enough by going to church. They even went to the altar and accepted Jesus as Lord and were baptized. But the world called to them and it was too strong for them to resist, because they hadn't got their roots down in the Word. I can only imagine what they would be like had they chosen Jesus over the world. And I have that on my heart each time I pray for them. We learn from the examples we are shown growing up. And, unfortunately for our children, and their children, the choices we make are taken out on them in word and in deed. And we wonder why our children turn out the way they are.
I pray every day for each of my children and grandchildren, and the great ones too, that they will come to know Jesus as Lord and will lay down the world and will choose to follow Him. They scoff at me and say it isn't possible, but all things are possible with God.
So where do you stand right now? Do you see judgementalism in the things you do? The things you think? The words you speak? Take a moment and confess those and ask forgiveness. I know I don't want to be judged in the same measure that I have judged others. Nosiree!! I will confess and ask forgiveness, and will hold myself accountable to the words I think. Help me Jesus!
Blessings!
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