I was chastised by the Lord today. And I share this with the intention of cautioning you not to fall into the same trap that I did.
I chastised by the Lord for being too quick to judge an acquaintenance.
Based on what I had heard (never a good thing!) I made my judgement call and condemned her actions and even mocked her in my heart. The Lord in His mercy did not hit me on the head. Instead He – as usual – allowed His still small voice to cause me to repent and cry out to Him for forgiveness.
You see, instead of asking her for her side of the story, I allowed my prejudices and preconceived ideas about her and her family to rule. Based on my impression of her and what I heard, I immediately jumped to a negative conclusion about the decision she had made. But when I finally emailed her and heard the story behind her decision, I was chastised.
I had assumed wrongly. Actually even if it had been correct, I still shouldn’t have judged and condemned her.
“There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:12
I give thanks that the Lord prompted me to email her instead of dismissing her. And with that simple email, my thoughts had been set right again.
Many times I like to jump to conclusions after hearing only one side of the story. That is wrong. Without knowing all the facts of the situation, we should never judge another person’s motives. The only one who can judge because He knows perfectly is God.
May I always be reminded not to be so quick to judge and to grant others mercy and grace as the good Lord has granted me so freely and abundantly.