Who am I to judge?

Matthew 7:1-3 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

         It happens in a split second. The power of just one glance, one thought, one word can cause scars that last for years. We know the hurt, because we have all been on the other side of that glance. We know what it feels like to walk into a room and be the object of judgement. Sometimes the judgement is based off of social media, sometimes it is the outfit you are wearing, or even what you believe. At some point in our lives we have all felt that sting, yet we fall into that same judgmental mindset more often than we realize.

      This sin is not anything new and has affected women for lifetimes. Ask any adult woman in your life, and she can tell you stories of how it feels to be judged. However, today's world makes judging even easier because we can judge from the other side of the screen. It is so easy to make careless judgments when you are not looking someone in the eye. This power can lead to many hurtful thoughts or comments that we would never think or say to someone if they were standing in front of us.

       As Christian girls, we can not afford to tear each other down. The Christian walk is difficult enough by itself. There will be many challenges in your life when you will need to be surrounded by praying friends. By pulling each other down we are making the enemy's job much easier, and our own lives more miserable. Satan wants to see us pick each other a part so he doesn't have to.

    I know in my own life I am quickest to judge when I am feeling insecure and need affirmation. Learning to detect these feelings before they spiral out of control has been a challange that I am still working on, but God has taught me that I do not need to cut someone else down to gain affirmation. I don't have to compare myself to anyone else. I am His daughter and there is no greater affirmation!

Pray today against the quick impulse to judge. Instead, treat everyone as a child of God. Think about WHO created that person that you are criticising. Do you really want to be the one judging God's design?

Photography by Kimberly Wynn