Being judgemental comes naturally to me… very naturally. I’d like to think that the overload of “picture perfect” people that inundate my Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook feeds has contributed to this urge to point the finger, in a vain attempt to feel better about my own imperfect self. The insta-glam culture that surrounds me, although only a tiny part of everyone’s story, shines brightest when I’m feeling my ugliest.
Blaming today’s culture truly would be a lame attempt to make an excuse for a part of my human nature, that simply just exists. There is no excuse for it. I simply breathe. And the inhaling of each breath means I am human, born with a propensity to preserve my flesh.
Thankfully, being human also means that I have the ability to love in abundance. To love others, near and far – be they my nearest and dearest friends, or those I only know of, and observe at a distance from my online perch, peering into the window that they choose to open for viewers like me. I can love them. I can celebrate the uniqueness I see in them that I find alluring. I can honour the way they move, with seeming grace and ease, in their unique gifting. I can admire their style and demeanour without finding fault in the mix.
Or, I can critique our differences and focus on the opposing views they take, the theology they embrace and the culture they create for those surrounding them. I can see their platform and judge their use of it, the clothes they wear, and the words they speak.
Each day I’m faced with the question, “Do I honour, or do I judge?”
You and I both know that the mind is the place where battles are won or lost. And Satan, also known as the accuser, loves to fill our minds with accusations of who we are, what we’ve done, what we’re not, and what we’ll “never be”. I can’t afford to have anything in my mind that doesn’t line up with God’s thoughts towards me.
So, I remind myself of God’s thoughts:
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
- I am a masterpiece, created for good works.
- I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
- Before I was formed in my mother’s womb, He knew me, and created me for a purpose.
- While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me.
It only takes a moment of reflection on truth for me to snap out of my judgemental thinking. Freely I’ve received Christ’s love, so freely I can give it as well. If I couldn’t, then have I truly received the magnificent love that He gives?
Today is yet another day that I will repent for judging you. I will make it my life’s mission to celebrate you for the good I see in you. My mind will reflect on the beauty that you bear, and I will be a voice to champion and honour the Christ I see in you.
You are beautiful. Thank you for being you.
“You can’t rebuke the accuser of the brethren in your own life, if you’re a conduit of accusation in other’s lives.” – Lou Engle
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