Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged

When I came out of my coma back in June, I encountered some interesting responses to my condition. Most folks just wanted to hug my neck and thank God for the miracle of my recovery, but occasionally I encountered a different kind of response. I’m not the only person that deals with this, pretty much anyone that doesn’t fit a standard mold is gonna get some flack from the usual crowd.

If you go to church, you are going to be judged by others that go to church. You will eventually have a good reason to be offended, but resist that. I have been told that I am not in God’s will for the books I read, or the movies I see, or the music I listen too. Others I know have been told that it is their tattoos that offend God, or the piercings, or maybe it’s the way you wear your makeup or hair. Maybe it’s the telephone company you use, or the car you drive. Judgmental attitudes pop up for almost anything we can imagine. As a Christian, I have seen this for thirty years. Many people have left their church because of this type of persecution. Now there are things about all of us that we could change to help us focus more attention on the Father and His will for our lives, but who am I or you to determine what those things are for someone else?

It is arrogant for me to look at someone who is not like me for some reason and determine in my heart that they aren’t close to God because of that difference. I don’t know them that well. Only God can know what part that difference may play in their pursuit of His will for their lives. It may be absolutely critical for them to be an avid Harry Potter reader, simply because they may be able to connect with someone in a way that I can’t, and in so achieving that connection, be able to fulfill the great commission.

Furthermore, it is ridiculous for me to say, “I would never do that,” speaking down to them as if I’m better because I wouldn’t struggle with that thing which I have judged to be their sin. We build so many walls this way between family and friends because we have judged others as below our standard. How much better would it be if we simply led them to God by our example and not try to personally fix them. Pray for them, and ask God to use them and teach them to be what He wants them to be. That way you can continue to be an example to them and not their judge. Let them accept salvation for the free unconditional gift that it is, and then the Holy Spirit will deal with them about any issues that they need to resolve. How dare I try to change someone whom God may know is perfect for His purpose, exactly as they are.

There is an exception to this of course, and that is if you are someone’s mentor, and they truly desire for you to help them in their growth or you are their parent, and therefore have God’s mandate to sow this type of virtue and leadership into their life, then of course, this is what you must do. However, usually we aren’t operating from such a noble perspective. We simply judge others to be different from ourselves and therefore not qualified to have the same standing with God that we have. This is a terrible situation to find yourself in because it is written, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”