Therefore let us not judge one another anymore...

Romans 14:13 NASB



Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this--not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way
 
The more I get to know God, the more I realize how much scrutiny I am under as a Christian. An acquaintance of mine has been lamenting certain aspects of faith as they perceive them. Most specifically the attitudes the secular world has toward what it means to be a Christian, especially a Christian woman. And to a degree the attitudes some groups have towards women in the church. Which is understandable, we all go through a period in which we are feeling things out, when we struggle with what the Bible tells us is good and right and what our society accepts and promotes as being correct. Sometimes they are in line with one another, ie don't murder people. It's an oldie but a goodie. Others not so much, for example fornication, it's considered acceptable by today’s society to go out and sow your wild oats, play the field and 'test drive the car' before you buy it.  The Feminist movement has made it all but a capital crime to ask a woman to put her husband at the head of the household.  As Christians we are constantly challenged on our beliefs. We are under intense scrutiny by the non Christian world to act and look a certain way. To make matters worse there are many different interpretations of what a Christian should be, not just by the secular world but by Christians themselves! It's no wonder the public is confused, if we don't know who we are, how are they supposed to know??
In my quest to find a church where I could feel at home I tried out a few places and each was vastly different from the other. Some were like a tomb, the moment you walked in, you could tell that the people in the building were there in body but not in spirit. Another I went to was so overwhelmingly male centered it was almost offensive. At this church women had only one place, the kitchen. I had no idea Al Bundy had started his own religious group! One place I went to was a little too intense. It’s great to be welcomed but my goodness when a group of 20 people swarm around you handing out pamphlets and offering to pray for you and signing you up for groups you didn’t ask to be a part of that’s a big much. Some are just a bit too focused on ‘the rules’, this is this and that is that and never the two shall meet. That particular church was split in half when the lead pastor announced that they would not be denying attendance to openly gay men and women. Some are just a parade of perfect looking people who say all the right things but in truth are just as flawed as the rest of us and instead point the finger outward so as to avoid exposure of their own failures.

Where I am now I don't feel the pressure to be perfect, even on my worst day I can show up, ragged, weak, filthy in my failure to be righteous, and I will be taken as I am. That my friends is when you know you've found the right place.

Don't get me wrong, as a baptized Christian if I'm doing something that is waaaay out of line, I expect my brothers and sisters to pull me gently aside and ask what’s going on. But the difference is, I know that if/when that day comes their concern is not the 'image' of the Church, but my spiritual health. The motivating factor will be love, not judgment. Now that I have found a home I am more dismayed and troubled by the many well meaning but poorly executed churches I see. People like that pastor that encouraged his members to hate the President and pray for his death. What's the matter with that guy? I try with all my heart to be the best person I can be. I can't always be the model Christian, I try but I am human and I am weak. I really try to drive straight past TJ Maxx and not dream about what new goodies are waiting for me in the shoe isle when I already have a rack full of shoes. I ask myself constantly, am I doing this for my glory or His? Do I need this or do I want this? Hardest for me is my mouth. I am a deeply passionate person and I wage a constant battle against my wicked tongue. I don't mean that figuratively. Those who know me best, who have known me in the worst of times, know the tongue lashing that I have unleashed upon some poor unsuspecting violator who had the misfortune of cutting me off on the freeway.

And yet, the thing that keeps me in check, the thought that I must keep in my mind, present and conscientious, is “am I living intentionally?” Am I thinking and speaking intentionally?  Is what I am doing or saying going to cause someone else to view my God in a bad light? After all, am I not his representative in this world?  A heavy burden to be sure! My spirit wants to be righteous, my spirit wants to be patient in all things, loving of all people and steadfast in my discipline but my flesh is weak. The only way to overcome this weakness is to live intentionally, with focus and forethought. It all goes back to the real question, am I doing this for His glory or mine? When I am offended by something why am I offended? Is it pride? Or is it just because it is wrong? When we begin to live intentionally, focused on God and his glory and not our own motivations be it pride or self love or whatever, only then can we change the lenses through which we view and react to the world. We can’t change the world’s preconceived notions of what it means to be a Christian. What we can change is how we chose to react to their prejudice. We must BE the example, living intentionally keeping in mind that our lives are a testimony to our faith. Even then we will occasionally stumble, but you know what, its okay. Even when we stumble, it is to His glory. Why? Because we get up and we keep going, our perseverance in times of struggle serves as a example to the world.

Our spirit is willing, our flesh is weak and our God is a loving and merciful God, who forgives us in all things and that my friends is a glorious thing. So when you feel the heat of scrutiny from the outside world remember #1) God is ultimately your judge, #2) their prejudice is a result of their own failed relationship with Jesus, so don’t take it personal, and #3) ask yourself, “am I living intentionally? Am I being a good example for the glory of God or am I glorifying myself?” Last but not least, be merciful, you were lost once too.

Good night!