I feel the world needs a lot more grace and a lot less judgement. So I’ve been thinking how I contribute to that.
I should never judge another person’s motives, heart or intent. I can’t see inside their head or soul, nor do I always have the gift of discernment in each discourse. I’m reminded often of the story of a man who was allowing his kids to run wild on a subway car. The woman across from him cleared her throat to gain his attention. But before she could complain about his poor parenting, the man quietly mumbled “I just don’t know how to do it. How do you tell your children their mother has just died? I don’t know if I can do this.” Needless to say, her judgement disappeared and was replaced with motherly compassion for the poor father.
Being quick to judge is built into our survival. It is appropriate to use judgement to avoid traffic accidents, invest wisely, and so many other daily things requiring a modicum of judgement.
I’m the judge of how I eat, exercise, work, learn, treat others, spend my day and resources. And so much of that does not have an immediate feedback loop. When my husband and I decided to really be deliberate about how we spend this last chapter of our lives, a lot of our time was consumed in overhauling our diets. Changing seventy-year-old habits was no small challenge. It was hard to daily remind ourselves that we were doing this to change our health from the inside out and the results aren’t noticed quickly but they have long term benefits.
Where I am working to apply the rule of not judging is with every person I interact with daily. No one knows all my back story, nor me theirs. I am trying to do a better job of treating others as I would hope they treat me. Don’t assume that I have always been as you see me now and please grant me the grace to assume my intentions are good and I just might have something worthwhile to contribute. I will try to do the same for you.
Our son-in-law sent us a great podcast last week that included a discussion of a person’s value not being a financial measurement, IQ score or any other caste ratings we have allowed to consume our country. It resonated with what we feel it means to be Designed to Thrive. Developing our gifts, using our experiences to make someone else’s life better is also a call to action for every Christian.
So be patient with me. I’m a work in progress and God is not finished with me yet. If you pray, please add me to your list that I might become all God designed me to be. And if prayer isn’t part of your daily practice, I’ll include you in my daily petition for God to reveal His love to you. There is no better friendship upon which you can depend.
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don’t think of themselves.“ (Rick Warren – The Purpose Driven Life – Cultivating Community)
“Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” (Galatians 6:5 – TM)
“To learn the truth, you must long to be teachable, or you can despise correction and remain ignorant.” (Proverbs 12:1 – TPT)
Yours for a Joyful Journey,
Joyice