Don't Tell Me You're Not Judgmental

If we are being honest {and I like to be, so let's}, we are judgmental people.  Our first reaction to any circumstance is to judge.

Every time we yell at another driver... we judge.

Every time we wonder, did she think that matches?... we judge.

Every time we think, how could she let her son drink queso dip out of a straw?... we judge. {That was for you Jessica and for the record, I did not judge you for that one... I would have ignored Beau doing that if it was keeping him quiet.}

It is in our nature as sinful people.

I am not trying to make you feel bad for being judgmental.  I am simply pointing out that we all do it. 

I happen to be extremely opinionated and outspoken {in case you hadn't figured that out by now}, which means that my judgments don't just live in my head... they often come out of my mouth.

I have always known that this was as issue that I struggled with, but to be perfectly frank, I just didn't really see the need to do anything about it.

This year the Lord has challenged me on that.

My pastor gave a great sermon a little while back about judgment.  It was one of those sermons where you know that the pastor is actually just talking to you, but being kind enough to act like it is a sermon directed at the masses.  It spoke to my heart.  His point was that there are moments in which we need to address differences of opinion... when the truth is being called into question and it is a salvation issue.  But there are more often moments in which the more Christ-like thing to do is just love.

It got me to thinking {a thought that I am now amazed took me 34 years to get to}: how many more people can I win over by showing them love rather than judgment?

Source: lisaleonardonline.com via Emmy on Pinterest

 
This year I have found myself in situations where I could have been very judgmental, but chose instead to be loving.  What a blessing to see how people respond to love rather than judgment.  

Jesus wasn't condoning sinful behavior when He spoke with the woman at the well, or the Tax Collector, or the adulterer... He was simply winning them over with His love.

I want to win people over with my love.

I bought my friend Lisa Leonard's keychain today to remind me.