Picture a woman sitting in church alone.
Now picture a woman sitting in church with her husband.
Now picture a woman sitting in church with her husband and children.
Now picture a woman sitting in church with her children and no husband.
When you pictured each one of those pictures you envisioned her situation. Think about it! What judgment calls did you make? What questions popped into your mind? What conclusions did you draw? As women, we are FAMOUS for making these judgment calls and we know that other people make judgment calls about US all the time too!
Therefore we hide.
We don't WANT people to know what we really are. So we hide. But guess what - that just makes it WORSE! We create a vicious cycle:
1. I make a judgment call on someone else.
2. I realize other people make judgment calls about me.
3. I hide who I really am.
4. Because I am hiding something, others must be hiding something too.
5. I make more judgment calls on someone else.
6. I hide more about who I really am.
7. Because I am hiding more. . .
By judging others, we create a hypocrite in ourselves. We cast judgment on others when it is not our job to do that.
"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” John 7:24
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| Photo Credit: Salvatore Vuono |
We need to recognize our own judgment upon other people. When we are thinking about someone else do the thoughts take a negative turn? Why? Is it based on truth? Do you truly know that thought is a TRUE fact? If you know it is true, is that thought bringing honor to the person it is about? Is it bringing honor to YOU? If you haven't caught on yet, I am referring to Philippians 4:8 which says:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8
Every thought of judgment (every thought period really!) needs to be put through the filter of this verse. Whenever I have a thought of judgment towards someone else most of the time it never gets through the truth filter before I realize that I should not be thinking those judging thoughts. Sometimes though it does get through the true filter but I promise you I have NEVER gone farther than the honor factor.
Put your thoughts of judgment through the Philippians Filter and you can stop the vicious cycle of casting judgment in your own life - which in turn may stop someone else from doing it too!
In His Grip,
Ann
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I just had to comment on this post because it was awesome. You spoke what my husband and I were just talking about.
ReplyDeleteWe went to a wedding on Sunday. It was a Mennonite wedding and it was like nothing we ever saw before. It was so simple...yet so reverent and beautiful. The only thing we saw though was the most serious and grumpy looking faces. No one smileed the entire service. Even the bride hardly smiled.
We made a judgement call in our minds...but after talking more seriously about this...what happens if the seriousness on their faces was just pure reverance for the sanctity of marriage? They always look this serious to me when I meet them...but what happens if they have reverance for God and we think they are just grumpy and stuck in their religiocity?
My husband and I realized that we don't know the heart...and maybe our lives need to be a bit more reverent as well...for a Holy God.
Thank you for this post...as this weekend taught me a lot. And the funny thing is I never judge people outwardly...I will never verbalize it to anyone...I always keep it to myself except I will share whatever I'm thinking to my dh. But this is wrong as well. I should not even think judgemental thoughts.
The verse you chose was beautiful...it needs to be revisited in my mind daily.
What a wonderful reminder! I keep that Philippians verse up in my house to remind me, and it's definitely something we're trying to be purposeful about here at home.
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