Who Am I To Judge?
#12 IN MY CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER JOURNEY THROUGH ROBERT MCGEE’S BEST-SELLING BOOK, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNIFICANCE.
As we grow in our understanding of His love for us and continue to understand that He has rescued us from the righteous condemnation we deserve because of our sins we will gradually become more patient and kind to others when they fail. It can be very helpful if we compare the failure or sin with our sin that Christ died to forgive. There is nothing anyone can do to me that can compare with my sin of rebellion that Christ has completely forgiven. That should give us a light of perspective.
Major Issues With Us Punishing Others For Their Mistakes
- The first is that we condemn people not only for genuine sin but for their mistakes as well. When people who have tried their best fail, they do not need our biting blame. they need our love and encouragement. Again we often to blame others because their actions (whether they reflect overt disobedience or honest mistakes) make us look like failures, and our own failure is unacceptable to us. Husband-wife, parent-child, and employer-employee relationships are especially vulnerable to one’s being threatened by the failure of another. People generally experience difficulty in dealing with their sins. Let’s not compound their problems by condemning them for their mistakes.
- A second major error we often make by condemning others is believing that we are godly agents of condemnation. Unable to tolerate injustice, we seem to possess a great need to balance the scales of right and wrong. We are correct in recognizing that sin is reproachable and deserves condemnation, yet we have not ben licensed by God to punish others for their sins. Judgement is God’s responsibility, not man’s!
We Should Leave Righteous Condemnation and Punishment In God’s Hands
We should leave righteous condemnation and punishment to the hands of the One worthy of the responsibility. our response should be love, affirmation, and possible compassionate correction. When others offend or insult us, should we tell them that they have made us angry or hurt our feelings? We need a safe environment to express our emotions: a good friend or counselor who will help us get in touch with our true feelings, fears, hopes, and dreams. In this safe environment we can slowly learn how to communicate appropriately with those who have hurt us. This requires wisdom because each situation and each person often requires a different form of communication.
In my next posting I’ll begin to take a look at how to communicate in ways to shape others behavior toward us.
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