Day 22: The Danger of Judgment

So today marks my actual 1 year anniversary of having moved to Florida. Yep; 365 days ago I flew in on an afternoon flight (I want to say 3:30-ish was take-off) and settled into my apartment, eagerly awaiting this weird "TIP" program and "pre-planning" to start. I remember I spent my first couple weeks sleeping on the love seat in my apartment. I don't really remember the rationale for that, but I'm glad I graduated to my bed after that. The move was such a whirlwind, and I didn't know anyone down here. . . and look at me know. All crazy, amazing, wonderful ways in which God has blessed me down here. . . I don't even know where to begin. My friends, my church, my job. . . I can only imagine what He has in store for me this next year.

Anyway, back to the book. The theme for this week is: "As You Judge, You Will Be Judged." (Also, I was going to try and catch up on a couple entries, but about an hour ago I took an antihistamine instead of ibuprofen for my headache (one of the few downsides to being super habitual: I almost never take ibuprofen, so when I went to the medicine cabinet, I automatically grabbed the antihistamine and it was down the hatch before I even thought about it. . . needless to say I'm a little groggy)).

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This week's theme is based out of this passage in Matthew, which deals with having a judgmental attitude. There's an interesting three step process almost hidden in these verses: we have to recognize the plank in our eye, remove it, and then remove the speck from someone else's eye. Great analogy, and it can be used in many ways. I mean, isn't that really way we ought to evangelize? We see the major problem in our life, get rid of it (by giving our life over to Jesus), and then help other people see the problems they have. It's a bit of a stretch, but really, so many people are walking around, unaware of the huge things that are getting in their way, and the only people who can truly help them out are those that have been made aware of that problem.

It's really hard not to judge at times. We see someone that's different than us, and almost always our first reaction is "I'm glad I don't do/look/sound/live like that." But an even more interesting thing to explore is when we excuse the bad actions of people we like. "Both responses- falsely condemning and falsely excusing actions- are judgmental." I don't think that this means that we don't forgive people for what happens, but what it does mean is that we still hold them accountable for what they have done/are doing. The ultimate indicator of how we should respond to people's actions is how Christ responds to their actions. He forgives, He loves, He cares, but yet He does not let people continue to walk on bad paths (the woman who was to be stoned is protected, and yet He tells her she needs to leave her life of sin). When we let those we care about do something they shouldn't and not say anything by looking at who they are rather than what they've done, we are actually hurting them. Three themes are going to be picked up in the next few days: hypocrisy, integrity, and mercy. I'm interested to see where he takes this.

Point to Ponder: Hypocrisy is focusing on the speck in another person's eye while ignoring the plank in your own. Integrity is removing the plank from your own eye. Mercy is removing the speck from another's eye.
I like this. People try to explain hypocrisy, and this illustration shows it perfectly (saying one thing while ignoring that same thing in your life).

Verse to Remember: Matthew 7:1- "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."
Remember: when you point a finger at someone, three more are pointing back at you, and if you're not careful, your thumb might be pointing towards God. Do you want people to see God as the ultimate Judge (which, granted, He is) or a loving Father? Are we showing God's wrath, which was/is consumed by Christ's death, or His love, which is shown through Christ's death?

Question to Consider: Are there places in my life where I see a tendency to be judgmental of others?
I tend to judge people on how they write and talk (hypocrisy, thy name is Ben). I don't expect "proper American English" because that phrase within itself is rubbish, but when people don't pronounce words correctly (leaving the "s" of of some words (like "asks") while adding "s" to all sorts of words that don't need it) or when they use the wrong verb tense or conjugate a verb to a form that doesn't exist ("shined", "brung", "drug" (for "dragged", just to name three), it irks me just a little bit. I don't really correct people anymore because that's rude, unless I'm proofreading for them. I wonder if this chapter will address the idea of what to do with judgmental thoughts. . .