Judgmentalism

Sometimes it's so much easier to see the wrong in others than it is to see it in ourselves. Okay, maybe it's TONS easier to see the wrong in someone else than in ourselves! Let's call a spade a spade.

There are times I truly just let go of things and deem decisions people make as decisions for themselves. I'm typically one that loves to celebrate the successes of others and usually am not the jealous type. If I find that I'm being envious, God is quick to remind me that their success has nothing to do with me and that God just wants to bless them. That one hasn't been something that has been a huge challenge for me.

What has been a pretty big challenge is when someone does something NOT good for themselves and I find myself being critical of them and how poor that choice is for them and how it will hurt them. I do really want to see people succeed and live an incredible life, but in doing so, I'm finding that when they are making wrong choices and do not see that they are doing so, it gets my panties in a bunch, so to speak.

So, God here is like dental floss for my critical attitude -- another word for this is judgmentalism. When you put it that way, it sounds so harsh and unbiblical. In fact, it is unbiblical. The Bible says that with how we judge others, we will be judged. Oh cra*!!! So, the erroneous thinking is that though I love for people to succeed, when they don't, I'm critical of them (aka -- Judge them). How wrong is that?

God, please forgive me because I really didn't think that I was doing that.

Sometimes I do get in a self-righteous mode and righteousness only comes through Jesus Christ. He made us right before God.

What I'm realizing that every single person is at some place in time with their "stuff". I may be further along in one area than they are and they are further along in other areas. It doesn't make me better than them or vice versa. It just makes us at different places in life.

If we are opened to the Holy Spirit speaking and integrating Truth into our lives, it is than that the transforming power of the Cross really empowers us and allows us to love others exactly where they are at -- flaws and all. Don't we just all want to be loved and accepted?

Maybe they don't see the forest from the trees. I know I certainly haven't for many things or it took so much for this to happen. Yet, God is infinitely patient & merciful. He is filled with grace. Good thing God didn't strike me dead if I didn't get it the first time, eh?

Romans 2 talks about God's righteous judgment. Our human judgment of others is not righteous, like many of my critical remarks towards some people. I'm so very sorry. In Romans 2:4b it says, " . . . God's kindness leads you towards repentance".

Many people, or the media & society, often portray God as an angry God just waiting to zap you if you do something wrong. On the contrary, though God does judge, He never without much patience, mercy, grace brought discipline to His people or punishment to those who are not His people. God gave many chances over and over to allow people to make things right by acknowledging their need for God and to turn to Him. Throughout the Bible, discipline (that's used for His people) and punishment (for those who were not His people) were given as a last resort.

Take for example the Pharoh of Egypt. My gosh, God sent 10 plagues against the nation. Even before the plagues, and while Egypt was building it's empire, the Pharoh could've acknowledged God gave him all that stuff. But, he didn't. When the first plague came, he could've acknowledged God. But, he didn't. Even after the 10 plagues, he still didn't acknowledge God and put the blame on someone else and wanted to kill the messenger. In the end, it cost many lives because God's wrath did come upon Pharoh and the land of Egypt. This was God's punishment because Pharoh never acknowledged the One True Living God. He did acknowledge a god, but it wasn't the God of the Bible.

God has such a tremendous love for all mankind that He could turn everyone's hearts towards Him if He truly wanted, but giving every single person free choice to choose their own destiny allows it to be FREE WILL.

I'm grateful God has forgiven me of my judgmentalism towards other people not getting it, as well as forgiving myself for "not getting it" often. Releasing that today and that I'm very humbled that even though I have walked with the Lord for the majority of my life, some very basic things have taken so long to really understand or at least understand in a deeper way.

Thank you Holy Spirit for speaking to me in a very quiet voice last night, because I heard You. Thank you God for Your patience, grace & mercy.