Judging me, judging you

For the past few weeks I've had this sense that I needed to read Romans... not quite sure which part, but what was clear was that I needed to pick up my Bible and read it. I've been lazy... but I did it last night. I skimmed through trying to figure out what in the world I was supposed to read and then... there it was in Romans 2:

God’s Righteous Judgment

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

I read the rest of Romans 2, but I re-read this specific paragraph over and over again. I was drawn by the words, by the examples - by the lesson.

I learned a lot about myself in therapy but one of the best things was when I was struggling with what people thought about my current situation, my past, present and future choices and D said "If you feel judged... it's because you are judging." I did not and do not like feeling judged but what was most troubling was realizing that I was doing some judging too. When D and I talked about this, I made a choice right then and there that I was going to make a serious effort not to judge and when I found myself doing it, I'd question my motives.

Easier said than done. Non-judgemental behavior takes more than just making a choice (although that's a great step), it's about creating a solid foundation for yourself based on your values and not stepping down from that. Judging others is putting yourself in a position that is superior to others.

Do I think I'm better than you? No... but sometimes my insecurities will get the best of me and I'll rationalize I'm ok by making you not ok.

By standing firm on my foundation (Christ), your choices, your behaviors aren't crazy ridiculous to me. I respond to them with my heart rather than my head. I accept your goofy failures just the way God accepts mine. I accept your point of view and thank you for having me look at things with a different perspective rather than dismiss your thoughts and ideas, just the way God accepts mine. I'll love you through the roller coaster you call life, the way God carries me through mine.