Matthew 7:1-2,  “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. “ 

Let’s take a look at these verses from the perspective of petty judgment.  Unfortunately being petty with other people can become too easy if we aren’t careful.  Things like: “Did you see those shoes she was wearing?”  “Did you hear what she said?”  “Oh, my word…. Look at the color of her hair!”  You aren’t really building yourself up when you are tearing someone else down, you are actually doing the opposite if you have Jesus in your heart because the conviction will eat you up at some point.  

What standard do you hold other people to?  Is it a higher standard than you hold for yourself?  Do you expect others to perform at a higher standard than you would ever dream of doing?  Why?  I have had women tell me that when they first met me they didn’t like me ~ they didn’t know me, but they didn’t like me until they did get to know me.  How funny is that?  As I told some friends a week ago, I am just me, I have no idea how to be fake, nor do I have the time and energy for that.  Being fake to me is like a lie, how do you ever keep track of it all.  It’s so much easier to just be me all the time and to work on becoming a better me with God’s help.  

It’s time for us to come together to help each other become all we are created to be in Him!  We need to encourage each other to become more, not judge and condemn and demean.  We are all our own worst critics as it is, no one wants to have every little thing picked apart in their lives by someone else.  None of us are perfect, although God knows we all wish our spouses were!  I can assure you that mine isn’t and neither am I, but we must keep striving to be all we were created to be and we must look for other people that God puts in our lives to help grow into all they can be for Him as well.  

You will be amazed at how much faster the Love of God will help someone change versus picking that person apart.  Don’t get me wrong, we are called to hold each other, as Christians, accountable for sin in our lives, but only when led by God.  We are not the judge and jury for every person out there, but we are to take a stand for what the Word of God says is right.  These verses are talking about picking out everything you can find wrong with others while you ignore the things God is trying to work out in your life.  

If you feel as though you are under fire by other people I would encourage you to ask God for His confidence.  Ask Him to show you who He says you are!  Remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s comment:  “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”  Don’t give in to those comments by others, ask God to reveal to you anything that needs to change in your life, and walk in the confidence that He loves you and He has a plan for your life.  It is His approval you are seeking, not the approval of all the people around you!

If you struggle with being a bit judgy ask God to help you stop and to focus on becoming the best you that you can be.  Ask Him to help you see the good in others and to love them as He does so you can encourage them to be all He created them to be as well!

Trust Him that truly His best is yet to come!

Quote:  “If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground.”  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson