You know what totally grieves my heart? Having to watch someone you love believe the lies that Satan feeds them. I hate Satan and I hate that so many fall into his traps. I also hate that I am not immune to him. I don't kid myself into believing that I am "Miss Righteous" and cannot be deceived. I just pray that I remain focused on God's ways, character and leading. That I do not become enslaved to my own fallen nature knowing he is lurking ready to steal, kill and destroy as he seeks that foothold in my own life to slither through.
You desire for your loved one to open the eyes to their heart so that they can know truth. You pray often knowing God is faithful but you continue to be hurt by the waiting. Knowing that having a right relationship with Christ is the only answer. Learning to trust that God is in control even if the situation appears to be out of control. Trusting God as you have to make a stand and do what is right. Learning to speak truth when faced with accusations allowing God to remove any malice from your heart.
When truth is brought to the light, it is often received with anger, bitterness, accusations as well as condemnation. Being faced with your own reflection can be painful and extremely hard. It is probably why so many people tend to run to their own vices so they do not have to face reality.
For the person who is watching from the sidelines, it can be just as painful. It is difficult watching your loved one or friend fall deeper into the pit because they continue in the pattern of poor choices and destructive behavior. You see this lifestyle choice is causing them to lose every good thing in their life. Little by little you watch them grow in anger and hate as the rebellion over takes their life causing them to lose grasp of reality. They are sinking lower into the pit. You quickly learn that it is easier for that person to keep their distance because they are not ready to face truth. You care so much that you try to approach them knowing that if they would just listen, you surely could help them see the truth only to find out that your efforts are in vain. Your approach may not always be profitable but you know your heart only desires God's best for them. You feel helpless and afraid as you have no choice but to let them be what they choose. Letting them go and trusting God is all you can do.
You begin to live in a lot of silence and wait on God hoping that you do not over step His timing of when to speak. Knowing that even though he is an irresistible God he is also a God of freewill. He knows many will continue to reject and walk in their own ways. He is a patient, loving father but he is also a God of judgment and consequences. So you pray for God not to forget your loved one as you continue to seek his grace and mercy on their behalf.
I have had to allow God to reveal to me my heart and remove anything that would cause me to see His truth according to His word. I have also had to allow God to heal me from the accusations of being judgmental or condemning. I have had to allow God to fill me with continual love because on my own there would be no love.
This is where I am in my life and it is one of the most difficult places to be. Learning to live with the loss of a relationship as you wait on God is agony. But allowing God to be God is empowering. When my love one accused me... Instead of getting angry, I got in the Word of God. Trying to always keep God's perspective. I asked God to examine my heart... Below is what he brought me to.
"Judge Not lest ye be judged"
Does Matthew 7:1 mean no judging at all?
Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Pretty simple and to the point - but not at all to be taken by itself! While folks like to spit out 7:1, chances are they don't know much about what follows it. Let's go to verses 2-5:
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
A couple of things to notice here:
- The further exposition clearly indicates that what is condemned here is not judging per se, but judging hypocritically.
- It also clearly indicates that once you take the "plank" out of your own eye, you will see clearly (the Greek here is diablepo, meaning according to Strong's, to look through, I.e. Recover full vision) to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Thus one is quite free to judge - if one is not a hypocrite!
Now of course, there is a lot more that could be said about how one should go about the process of "judging", and we can discuss in this particular case the relevance to the sins of a national leader, and so on. But the bottom line is that this verse is not an outright forbidding of judging at all. In fact, it's right in line with John 7:24, "Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment." (I'll bet you'll never hear that verse quoted, he!)
