Day 3: Do Not Judge (Part 2)

When you’re in a relationship — whether it’s romantic or within your family, there are “internal communication and understanding” between you and the people in the relationship.

A simple nudge and you know there’s something you’ll talk and laugh about on your way home.

A simple glance and you know she’s getting uncomfortable in the conversation.

A simple sigh and you know he’s doing his best to understand you — he’s trying, but he’s also starting to get frustrated in you and in himself.

The Lord and I also have our “thing” to communicate, verify, and confirm things.

We have a “thing” about repeating signs twice (or more).

Today, I came across a wonderful verse on chapter six in the Book of Luke. Luke 6:38 says,

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”

To further understand its context, I read the whole chapter.

Lo and behold — there it was again! The verse before 38 is — you guessed it — verse 37. And it says,

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.”

To make the message simple, we can summarize it in three uncomplicated sentences:

Do not judge. Do not condemn. Forgive.

Hmmm… Now, what could the Lord be referring to?

Is He giving me a heads-up so I can prepare my heart for something coming my way?

(Yes, He does that also. Since He knows I don’t work well under pressure and that I’m all for mind-setting, there are times when He prepares my heart by telling me something ahead of time. How sweet it is to be loved by my God!)

Does He want me to FINALLY write that Letter of Forgiveness I have been meaning to write my “defiler” from when I was in high school?

(I was raped in high school. It affected decades of my life. It’s time to stop my insanity and let go. But this is another story for another post altogether.)

Suddenly, my husband mentioned an important detail about our wedding that he didn’t mention during the wedding day itself.

I found out that we got help from an unexpected person.

And there I was, thinking this person was disinterested.

(Ouch! Yup, my bad!)

I felt shame in my heart for my biases.

(Of all people, I should be THE one to give other people the benefit of the doubt especially that JUSTICE is one of my dominant desires.)

Feeling shame is SO NOT a good feeling.

BUT I am thankful to the Lord for rebuking me and convicting me and setting my heart right with Him.

I thank God for this blog because I was reminded that admitting fault is only the first step to making things right.

I asked forgiveness from the Lord for my judgmental mentality, prayed for Him to help me show grace to others, and if He is willing, for Him to love this person through me.

I thank the Lord for the many second chances He gives me! And because of these, I should also give second chances to others. It’s always nice to be reminded.

How about you?

Was there a time when you thought ill of someone just to prove you wrong afterward? (Don’t worry, you will not be judged. Promise!) Please feel free to share your brief story in the comment section below.

Let us encourage and pull each other up. This is a safe place for you.