Fearlessly Courageous

Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4/28/2021

Who are you to Judge and Compare yourself Part II

Do you struggle with seeing the best in people? We all have tendencies that we default to fairly regularly. Sadly, I think many people have this bent of judging before they love. It’s this spirit of criticalness. You know…there’s just something wrong with that person. They are slow to respond, they seem in a daze. Their response was awkward or they said WHAT? Instead of trying to understand, our sensories seem to go on alert, that there’s a problem here.

There’s nothing wrong with being aware or sensitive to your surroundings but what exactly are we doing with that sensitivity? And if we are using that to be judgmental, what does that say about our sensitivity. Sensitive to what?

Judging a person doesn’t define who they are, it defines who you are. There is a reason they are the way they are.

I wonder why our first default isn’t discovering who they are vs what they do? Christ loved first. We judge first. His greatest commandment says it perfectly. Matt 22:37-40 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Personally, I know that the things I most dislike in other people are often the reflection of myself. That may be difficult to see as we are most blind to ourselves. But this I do know, that when I can appreciate someone, it makes it almost impossible to judge them. When I love someone I want to help them take a broken piece of who they are and secure it with the glue of the Holy Spirit to be whole again. That can only happen with love and understanding, not judgment.

The most beautiful souls are often the most broken.
I believe that goes for how we judge ourselves also.
Isn’t love the absence of judgment?

Jesus came and not only took away our shame but no longer judges us for our failures because of the everlasting blood sacrifice of Christ. When I first met my wife, she could do no wrong because I could see no wrong. When my children were born, it was pretty much the same. I saw no wrong, only cuteness and innocence and love layered and sculptured into this most perfect package.
(Of course, God in his sense of human, didn’t tell me about teenagers. 😊)

It is true we help them rectify their mistakes but that doesn’t mean we keep blaming them. Does it? Before we judge this person we say we love, perhaps we should look inside and first be true to ourselves. First, be honest with yourself. Matt 7:1 “how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? … You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own”.

I believe we judge others because we compare ourselves to them. How can we know that when we haven’t even read their book? Each of those other people has a different story to narrate. How can you compare or judge your chapter 1 with their chapter 20? We each have our own clock and it is set to a different time and set of experiences than every other person you see, meet, or know. The chapters listed in their book are completely different than yours even though they may have a similar title or have a thing or two in common.

So as we attempt to judge a book by its cover. (we think we are so good at it) We are failing miserably in our judgment because our filter is completely wrong. Our sight glass is dim or filthy. It’s ultimately based on factors we can’t know or are not true and we shouldn’t be presumptive or ridiculous in thinking we can see beneath their surface without knowing them. We have allowed our own insecurities and diminished self-esteem to be raised or lowered by what we see in others. When we should be looking to God. Loving God. Loving ourselves because God made us as we are because he wanted us this way.

If you want to be better at one area or another in your life, then work at it. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Put time and attention to it but do it because you love yourself and not because you are shamed into it or are motivated by your judgment of others or their judgment of you.

Your journey will be much lighter and easier if you don’t carry your judgments of others with you. When we start looking at people’s hearts instead of their faces or figures, life becomes so much more clear and we can walk in the peace of God, in whatever situation we are in.

Will you stop and pray with your family for one hour this week? God wants to do something wonderful for you. He’s listening but waiting for you to ask.

Trust in You Lauren Daigle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv-SXz_exKE