Thursday, August 19, 2010

  Judgment Turns Back
        -- Every Time

"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things." -- Romans 2:1

Some days I look around and see judges everywhere. It frightens me. Not because I fear their judgmental glances and backstabbing words. No, I'm afraid because I know what God does to those who judge others. Been there, done that, as the saying goes. And I don't ever, ever want to go back there again.

I really don't know why we sometimes think we know better than anyone else. I don't understand how we can rationalize our sins as being less than those of another. I don't know why we think we can turn our superior noses upward and look down on people who are struggling with their own sins and its consequences. But we do.

God, however, has a way of making sure we develop compassion and humility. Like the man who quickly judged and condemned the mistake of a fellow church member. He refused to extend forgiveness even though the sinner expressed regret and vowed to live a different life. Now, that same man watches in helpless agony as his child makes a similar mistake and suffers the consequences. Somehow I doubt that man will be as quick to judge next time.

Or take the woman who values her lifestyle almost as much as she values her husband and children. She watches her sibling struggle financially, making bad mistakes and stumbling every time he seems to get his life together. I see the future so clearly and it breaks my heart. She doesn't understand that she and her husband are but one layoff or one major illness away from the same fate. She'll learn compassion one day. Guaranteed.

I used to think I had it all together. I had a good life filled with good things like a prestigious address, a status car and awesome vacations. One phone call and grief destroyed everything I thought I valued. Now, people look down at me because I no longer strive for financial gain at the cost of relationships. I spend time studying the Bible, both alone and with others, as I seek His will. He is permanent, solid and strong. He is dependable, no matter what comes my way. I learned the hard way to cling to that rock.

That's the thing about judging others. It always comes back on you. Always. No exceptions. God has called us to be compassionate and kind, forgiving and welcoming to others. It doesn't mean accepting sin. It means acknowledging that we all sin. I means showing others the same level of forgiveness that God has shown and continues to show to each of us. It's a lesson we all learn, one way or another.