Mind your P’s not my Q’s.

There are things you can do that I cannot do. There are things I can do that are not good for you. Where we get off track is when we use our limitations to criticize someone else.

We see this a lot in the church. A group of people decides this or that is not something a “Good Christian” should do and we scorn those who don’t find that same limitation in their lives.

I remember going to a church with a guy one time and he was a smoker. After church he lit up a smoke and people just gave him the oddest look, and he felt it. The love they had shown inside the building did not extend outside, once they saw the smoke.

There are some folks who follow the kosher diet, that’s great, but they should not try to “put” that on others. There are those who believe alcohol is bad for them, but again, when I talk about drinking a beer, that limitation has not been placed on me so it’s none of their business.

This issue gets real sticky, real quickly. I have some believer friends who smoke Marijuana for pain relief. Do I personally feel like Marijuana is a good thing, no, I don’t. I’ve read too many studies that show it causes people to become very passive and passivity is not something our culture needs more of. (Please don’t make this a debate over the use of Marijuana) I’m not in their shoes and while I can share my concerns if it comes up or if asked, I do not get to judge or disqualify them because I love them.

My point is this, we should each spend more time looking at people’s hearts rather than judging what we see on the outside. Judgment is a huge obstacle to faith and we who should be the faithful must remember that. And you can’t just pretend, it has to be real, or like my friend who smoked outside the church, they will feel it.

Judgment, quiet judgment is as bad as opening our big mouths. As I write these words I think back to how Jesus handled the woman at the well. He knew what she was doing but also loved her more than anything and that’s what made the story worth repeating in the Bible.

Is our treatment of people worth repeating in the Bible?

2 Comments

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  Joan Wessell June 30, 2010 at 6:57 am

  Rick, I appreciate and value your gentle reminders. Thank you for sharing your 'spot-on', wise opinions with us.
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  Joan Wessell June 30, 2010 at 8:57 am

  Rick, I appreciate and value your gentle reminders. Thank you for sharing your 'spot-on', wise opinions with us.