Judgemental Me

We are all people. We all eat, we all sleep, and we all poop. Seriously, we have a lot more in common than we would like to admit. So why do we judge one another by our petty little differences? Because we are wicked at heart. Because we don't see the evil that springs out of our thoughts and our mouths until it's right in front of us lying there on the ground. And instead of cleaning up the mess we made we try to cover it up or explain it away. But it still stinks!

I was wondering why I act one way around one person and a different way around someone else. Here comes my "explanation"; because I want that person to like me, I want to be liked. Is that strange? No, it's not strange. We all want to be liked, loved even. Family can be so difficult to talk to but they are the people we want to love us the most. Even when our family hurts us we still want them to like us. Why? God has knit the hearts of family so much closer together than other hearts. So close in fact that they see more of us then the rest of the world. They see the ugly parts of us. They know our secrets and they know where and how we started. They know how hard we try and they've seen how hard we fall. They see our mistakes sometimes before we do. That's a big problem!

There are some that think of themselves as "saviors". These people aren't bad intentioned people just confused. They've experienced pain and they were scarred by it. They hold onto that pain as a reminder to never let that happen again. These confused people think that if they shout out a warning every time a loved one looks like they might be headed down the path of pain that they can somehow save them from the same fate of pain and heartache. Unfortunately, for that person, their shouts sound more like judgements and ridicules than the warnings of a concerned loved one.

I read a story about a butterfly just recently. There was this person who was eagerly awaiting the emerging of a butterfly from it's cocoon. The process had just started and the person watched in amazement as the butterfly struggled to be reborn. As the person looked on they decided that the butterfly surely could use some help because it seemed it was struggling too hard for a brand new butterfly, something had to be wrong. So the person took a tiny pair of scissors and ever so carefully cut open the rest of the cocoon to free the butterfly from it's struggles. That person must have felt such a sense of pride and triumph after "saving" this creature from it's terrible struggles. However something strange happened after that. The butterfly's wings were free but something was wrong. It didn't seem to have beautiful bright colors as other butterflies did. In fact this butterfly seemed to be getting weaker. Not long after that the butterfly died. The reason the butterfly didn't survive was simply because it had not had the chance to grow stronger through the trials of being reborn. The creature needed that trial to grow stronger healthier muscles and pump the blood into it's magnificent wings. God created all His creatures with that similar purpose in mind. He wants all of us to be as magnificent and beautiful as He has designed us to be. But sometimes the self proclaimed "saviors" of this world end up doing more harm than good.

Let's leave the saving to the real savior Jesus Christ. When we act as a person's "savior," we are confusing that person into thinking that maybe we are a savior or maybe there is a such thing as a human savior. THERE IS NOT! Let's not hold onto past hurts, give them to God and ask for His healing. Let's not pretend to know more than we do. Let's, all of us let the Lord do the saving from now on. We are only to work with God towards "our own" salvation, not the salvation of others. That's why we need to pray more and fix less. We will all struggle in this life, but God is faithful to complete the work He has started in us until it is finished!

Forgive me father for I have sinned! Restore what I arrogantly took from others that You might have meant for their good. Help me to only work out my own salvation with fear and trembling. You are God of all, I am just Your creation. Thank You for Your Son and His atoning death on the cross. If it wasn't for Jesus I would be lost forever. Thank You for continuing to guide me and teach me. Thank You for not forsaking me. You are patient and long suffering. You are LOVE.
1 Corinthians 13 1-13