Judgement...

I'm hungry and trying to decide what to make myself for lunch. As it is pretty hot today, I may just go with cold cereal...Just got finished handwashing some shirts, and need to do a dress. Why I still buy clothes that say "hand wash only" on the label is beyond me. It's not like I enjoy it; but when I find something I like at the right price, I buy it without reading the label :) Because hey, that dress looked really good on me, and who woulda thought Old Navy would make a cute cotton-knit looking dress out of rayon???!!!  Also the ironing board is calling my name right now...well not really, but hubby has a lot of shirts that aren't ironed and none that are. So I better get to it because I certainly won't feel like doing it tonight. Oh yes, and I have that dentist appointment at 4pm to recement my crown, and then on my way home I need to stop at the store and buy chicken and cheese.

And now for something that I think is a big issue in many people's lives right now. Judging/criticism. Yes I know, that has nothing to do with what you might first think would be big issues--finances, jobs, the economy, etc.  Because all those things are issues that affect everyone differently, but what shouldn't be different is how we respond to those who are in those situations differently than us. There are several different translations, but the basic verse that everyone knows, "judge not that ye be not judged" is one that seems to get overlooked far too often. There are things people do that are obvious sins, and we of course acknowledge them as such. There is never a good excuse to sin; and how to deal with brethren who are sinning is an entirely different discussion.  What I am talking about are the little decisions (or big ones) that people make that are different than what I or you might make. Those things that make no sense to us in our little worlds. Here is where we give grace to others; we don't judge them as making decisions that are bad or stupid or unwise (and we definitely don't share any negative opinion in front of our children!).  We must recognize that the people, personalities, circumstances, and stressors are different in every family's/individual's life. And we will NEVER, no matter how well we think we know the person, truly understand exactly what they are dealing with that causes them to make those decisions! So next time someone who you or I know makes a decision or does something that we don't understand, let's not start criticizing. Let's move on in love; not hold these things in our private archive of disagreements/differences with others, but instead carry on in our common ground of brothers and sisters in Christ! One of the reasons we are commanded as Christians to fellowship with one another is to lift up and encourage each other in our common goal of sanctification! Not to tear down, the world will do that; but to build up!
So here's to a good day focused on encouraging and uplifting all those who cross our paths today :)