Judge or Judge Not

Are we too quick to judge those around us? Are christians especially quick to judge others? There is nothing like a special book study on lent to bring questions and discussions about uncomfortable topics out in front of us all.

Churches are supposed to welcome all people, just as Jesus welcomed all people. He reached out to everyone, be they tax collectors or prostitutes. Do we do the same? Or are we afraid we'll get a little dirty if we reach out to someone who isn't like us?

A church should be a safe haven for all sinners. And we are all sinners. Do our noses lift up, even as we extend a hand to a visitor who might not be dressed as we deem appropriate? Do our eyes harden and shift even as we smile and nod at a visitor of a different color? Do we offer a degrading comment and laugh if someone new to our church family questions practices that might challenge the rule of the minority? Do we expect all christians to do and believe and vote exactly as we do and reject them publicly and privately when they don't?

We feel much more secure in ourselves and our beliefs when we are surrounded by people like us. But we weren't called to take the safe road. Just ask Paul, who sacrificed everything to teach Gentiles about Jesus. We are much more likely to bring people to Christ by showing them love and compassion, acceptance and true welcome. It doesn't mean looking the other way at sin. It simply acknowledges that we are all sinners and He died for all of us. The arrogant and the prideful. The thief and the murderer. The man and the woman.

Maybe the next time we start to judge someone, we would do well to remember a few of our own sins. It's humbling to force ourselves to remember we are just like the person we were about to judge.

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