I went to a church this morning that is not my normal kind of church. This church was not particularly bad or wrong or anything along those lines. It was just different. Now granted there were some things they said and some interpretation of some Scriptures that I did not agree with, but this does not mean that their entire church is completely wrong and not following God.
As I sat in worship thinking about how this is not my normal kind of church, I found myself beginning to judge this church and these people. I questioned how true their hearts were and why they were really even here. (and now that I have typed this out for the world to see I feel like an even worse person!) Can you believe that? As I sat and thought about how they were different (and I don't mean they don't believe in Jesus different. They are different in their style and their music choice and the way the pastor preaches) I found myself judging them.
Our minds can be such a dangerous place. Who I am to judge anyone? As I sat and thought about this I felt like such a horrible person for questioning someone else's relationship with Jesus. I don't know these people and I don't know their relationships with God. But yet after a few moments of observing, I questioned them. Wow!
I don't even know what else to write other than I am sorry to these people that I judged. I was in the wrong and I allowed different to translate into bad and wrong. I allowed my flesh and carnal mind to judge and look down on others. Oh how we can view things so wrongly. This was not the way of Jesus. This is not the way that we should behave in this world. We are called to love and to never judge someone.
Oh how I love when God corrects me. Seriously I do. It hurts often, especially when He points out how ugly we can be. But I love the fact that my Father loves me enough to correct me. I said a few posts back that I feel this is to be a year of refining for me. Refining hurts. I got refined while judging people this morning. But it's good. Sometimes pain is necessary in the growth process. Until then ......
1 comment:
As I told a pastor from a church I visited not long ago, I didn't agree with everything you said, BUT we are "Right On" on the IMPORTANT points. There were NO "Deal Breakers"! Don't you know God is laughing over our febble attempts to "Know His Mind"!
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