Judgement....we all do it

Okay, so I COULD rant here about one of my biggest pet peeves EVER. That would be judgement. I know we all do it, and why not? It's so easy. You see something you don't understand, a lifestyle or a hairstyle or whatever, and your knee jerk reaction is to judge it. To be critical, to say in your heart (and often times with your mouth) how wrong "that" is.

Like I said, we all do it. I am guilty. Heck, I am guilty when I judge people for their judgements. So, what right do I have to rant about it? None, really.

I came across something in my journal this morning that started me on this train of thought. It was something I wrote down in the days leading up to the presidential elections.

"Christ came to release us from judgement...not only judgement for our sins, but also to release us from the burden of judging others." 


Judging others really is a burden that we are not meant to carry. We are meant to love, to let God's love shine through us. I think one of my all time favorite stories of Jesus is in John chapter 8. The story of the woman found in the act of adultery and basically thrown at Jesus feet for his judgement. And he chose not to.

 "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

We tend to focus on the men who brought her to Jesus and how they slunk away, heads bowed low. Or at least I do. I have never really sat down to think that Jesus is the one person completely sinless in this story (and in my life) and he chose not to judge her. I mean, I know he didn't judge her, it's the point of the story. But I have never really stopped and let the wonder of that action sink in. That choice. Made by the only one who had the right.

I have no more words. The well is dry. And overflowing with wonder (funny how it can be both at the same time)

Just something to think about :-)