Planks and Presumptions

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"
-Jesus-

Matthew 7:1-3 NIV

Becky hurried down the grocery aisle in search of last minute ingredients for dinner. At the sound of an angrily raised voice, she paused mid-stride. "Josh, for pete's sake, put that back! I mean it. Now!!" Sheesh, lady, give the poor kid a break and stop snapping at him, she thought. The voice sounded familiar, so Becky peeked around the endcap to see who the woman was. Sure enough, it was Claire, the new gal at church who had been attending for the past month. Wow, she's not a very loving mom. Isn't she embarrassed to talk to her child like that in public? Not wanting to be seen eavesdropping, Becky backed away and made her way quickly to the checkout counter.

Meanwhile, a frustrated Claire prays silently for forgiveness. Please help me to be a better mom, Lord. This little guy is giving me a run for my money this week. I'm so sorry. Please give me more patience with him.

As Becky got into her car, she pulled out her cell phone and called her friend, Abbey. "Guess who I just saw at the grocery store?" she asked. All the way home, Becky relayed what she saw in the store. Abbey soaked it all in, as she'd been curious about what kind of woman Claire was. At the door to her house, Becky craddled the phone with her shoulder and shifted the paper grocery sack so she could flip through her keys. "Abs, I'd better let you go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Her daughter ran to her for a hug as soon as she got into the entryway. I'm so glad Kelsey is raised in a loving home, she thought. She laid the paper bag on the counter, annoyed at what she saw. "Darren! How many times do I have to tell you to put your wrappers in the trash? What's the big deal anyway? It is such an easy step. Did you take out the garbage yet? What do you mean "no"? I just went grocery shopping and I'm about to cook dinner. Do I have to do everything myself?"

That Sunday, Claire receives a distant, lukewarm reception from the women at church. Just last week they were so friendly to her. She wonders why things have suddenly changed...

This fictitious account serves a lesson for us. Becky made her first mistake by judging Claire. This brought out a self-righteous, arrogant attitude in Becky. Instead of praying for Claire, she criticized her in a call to Abbey, which led Abbey to entertain gossip. (Though Abbey could have stopped Becky at any time.) Who knows if Abbey passed it on... To top it off, Becky came home and hypocritically lost her patience with her husband and snapped at him. As the saying goes, "When you point a finger, there are three pointing back at you."

Time and again the Bible calls us to refrain from judging and gossiping. Unfortunately, it can be tempting to do, which is probably why God addressed this so much in the Word. We have all sinned in this area at some point. I clearly remember being on the painful receiving end of judgment, and I'm sure you do too.

I remember in college, anytime movies were discussed, a friend used to pipe in, "Well, I'm not going to see that movie. I don't watch anything over PG-13." Imagine a nose in the air and you get the picture. Did her self-righteous attitude persuade us to follow her shining example? Not really. Did we feel like she thought she was a better Christian than us? Definitely.

What about me? Have I been faithful? Well, it matters very little what you or anyone else thinks. I don't even trust my own judgment on this point.
My conscience is clear, but that isn't what matters.

It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.
So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, He will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give to everyone whatever praise is due.
1Corinthians 4:3-5 NLT

Don't make assumptions about others. You can't possibly know where they've been unless you've walked a lifetime in their shoes. Only God knows a person's heart. When a critical thought enters your mind, bring it before the Lord. He alone is qualified to judge. James 4:12 states, "There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?" Examine your own heart and relationship with God. Remember the power of prayer and get down on your knees for the person you're tempted to judge. Forgive them and love them in spite of their faults. Besides, it doesn't matter how unworthy you think someone is, they are created in God's image, and you won't stop Jesus from completing the work He began in them.

Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls.
And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:4 NIV

We're all going along our journey with the Lord at different speeds. Sometimes we go fast, sometimes excruciatingly slow. Some of us are running, some are walking, and some of us are crawling. If you see someone struggling to keep up, come alongside them and be their encourager. Cheer them on. It is our responsibility not to trip our brothers and sisters, but to be their running partners.

Since God chose you to be the holy people whom He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love.

Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:12-14 NLT

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

-Jesus-

John 13:35 NIV

(Just to clarify, this isn't an appeal to embrace or condone sin. Regrettably, we all sin, and sometimes the need arises for correction of a believer's unrepentant sin. This is always to be done out of love, with the hope that the person in question will turn back to the Lord. For more verses on this topic check out: 1Cor. 5, Matt. 18:15-17, 2Cor. 2:5-8, 2Thes. 3:14-15, Titus 3:10.)