If I may be so bold, I’d like to pose a couple of questions to you all, my ‘blog friends’ … they are questions, that perhaps might evoke some emotion, but they’re questions that I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on … so, here goes:
Why do you think people judge others?
Do we have the right to judge another person?
What ever happened to LOVING someone first?
I must say … I’ve been pondering these questions the past few days … I’ve found that throughout my life, personally, I’ve been a ‘judger’ so to speak … perhaps not so much consciously, but more so because I thought something should be one way and not another … or I thought I was right, while the other person was wrong … when all along, I lacked the capacity to accept that someone else had an opinion! I think this was more in my youth … when I was in middle school, into my freshmen and sophomore year in high school …when I was naive and just ‘learning’ what it all meant to have a relationship with Christ …
However, as I’ve gotten older, my focus has become, not whether someone is right or wrong, but whether they are loved or not … perhaps that sounds a little strange, but, as I’ve learned more about the ‘heart of Christ’, I’ve learned that He just LOVES us, right where we’re at … He loves us even in our darkest days … He loves us when we’re sinning … He even loves us when we turn our backs on Him … and while that breaks my heart, I realize that I lack the way He loves others, many times … I wish I could love like Christ in moments where my anger gets the better of me … or I feel a ‘judgment’ coming into thought about someone … I wish that it was easy to LOVE at all times … but that’s where our human nature interrupts and invades … yet, I pose a challenge to those out there who call themselves ‘lovers of Christ’, including myself … instead of passing judgment on someone FIRST, why don’t you try LOVING them FIRST … Love them like Christ loves them … give them grace and show mercy, just as Christ has done so many times for you and I … it might be something as simple as a smile, or maybe it would require you to take a leap of faith, but do it! Do it today, and just let LOVE in ... when you can be overcome by the love that Christ has for you, you can then become 'in love' with those around you ... even when you don't agree with their lifestyle … even when their sin blinds them … practice LOVE first …
4 comments:
This was an excellent post! I wish the reality of what you spoke about here had been a reality to me a couple years ago when I needed to love some family members whose lifestyle I didn't agree with. It would have made my life a whole a heck of a lot easier.
Thank you Hermi! Sometimes, I too wish I would practice my thoughts! ;-) It's hard sometimes ... it really is ... thanks for reading ... it means a lot! :-)
It's just my opinion, but you asked!...
Why do I think people judge others? First, rather than "people", I suppose I have to include myself in this. I hate to admit it, but we all do it. We judge others for many reasons. Our judgement of others provides a measuring stick for ourselves. It can make us feel better about our own situation. It's a natural instinct. We are programmed to measure what we have against what everyone else has rather than just be grateful for what God has already provided for us. We are so spoiled and don't even get it most of the time.
Do we have the right to judge another person? Absolutely not. Can we assess a situation and be honest with them? Sure. We all need someone to hold us accountable. However, it's not our place to do this. We don't know how this situation came to fruition. What led this person down this path? We don't know the whole story usually and it's so easy to pass judgement especially if we have never been in that situation. You NEVER know what you will do until it's happened to you. We like to assume the best of ourselves, but you just never know. I've been terribly guilty of this in the past and ruined a friendship for almost 6 years. We have slowly repaired our friendship and we've both grown from it, but I still feel so guilty for being judgemental rather than supportive or providing any kind of guidance.
What ever happened to loving someone first? I learned the hard way from the situation I just mentioned that this is always the best route to go. I guess as I've gotten older, I realize that life is not so cut and dry and we can all stumble. When we do stumble, we don't need someone to make us feel worse about what we've done, we need someone to love us through it. Our friendships should sustain us, not tear us down.
Annie, THANK YOU for your opinion! It is very much appreciated! And believe me, I have to wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments! I agree that we should LOVE first, rather than JUDGE first ... I think we're so conditioned to think that is the way to go, because 'church culture', in some ways, has trained us that way ... it's like if you're doing something wrong, than you should be outcast ... but I believe, in those moments, we should embrace people, and love them, right where their at ... because afterall, that's what Jesus did for us, ya know?
Thanks again for your beautiful words! God Bless! ~Emily
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