“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others, we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Have you ever found yourself, walking down the street, or buying a sandwich at LJ’s, or maybe walking your dog past the Eco Hub, staring at someone else and judging them? Be it for the way they look, or what they are doing, or simply, some pre-conceived notions you have about ‘those people.’ No? Never? Maybe it’s just me then. Unfortunately, I do have those thoughts sometimes, often unintentionally. And I’m not proud it.
Reflecting on my own judgements of others, leads me to wonder, what have others judged me for? Was it my American accent? My annoying outgoing demeanour? The fact I am a Christian? My job as a minister? Or something more superficial like my weight or height?
The reality is though, that once we get past our own prejudices and judgements, we find that at the core, we are all human beings, and share so much in common. I’ve recently been playing basketball on Thursday evenings (7:30 by the Eco Hub, ALL are welcome to join in), and I have loved every minute of it. I must admit, my favourite part isn’t the fact I am reliving my childhood dreams of basketball stardom, or the belly laughs we have when one (or all) of us epicly misses the hoop. My highlight every Thursday is looking around and seeing the eclectic mix of people I am sharing the experience with. There are guys and girls, young and not so young, athletic and not so much, rock music fans and 70’s music fans, window cleaners, students, gamekeepers, models and more. There are people in the group, that I may have potentially found myself passing judgement on, accidentally, when in fact, I am growing some absolutely amazing relationships!
Why do I share all this? Well, I wonder if you are as challenged as I am by our own preconceptions. In the Bible, we read ‘the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart’ (1 Samuel 16:7). As a Christian, I have a responsibility to not focus on the outward appearance, but try and look to the heart, as God does. Now, you might not be a Christian, and therefore may not believe that. But, I’d like to challenge all of us: What would our community look like, if we all looked at each other’s hearts as opposed to our external appearances?
Maybe, you’ve made some judgement about me, or the Church already. Maybe I or the Church have made judgement calls about you. Is there scope, for us all to move past these, and look to the heart? Is this something you need to work on, like me? Why not do it together? Because I know I can’t do it alone!
ARTICLE ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN THE JULY 2017 EDITION OF THE GAMLINGAY GAZZETTE.
Simple Faith 