I mentioned in the past two blog posts how that as I was growing up, and throughout my college years, I was under Bible teaching which reinforced what a “good” Christian was supposed to look like. As a result, I developed a very judgmental, condescending attitude towards anyone who did not look and act like a “good” Christian was supposed to look and act.
We were all the “good” people … and all those other people, well … they were the “bad” people.
The thing is, deep down I knew that I wasn’t really all that “good.” I had mistakes. I had failings. Deep down I knew my own secret hidden sins. I was painfully aware of my own shortcomings. I might be looking the part of a “good” Christian, but my conscience knew the truth: I wasn’t really all that “good.”
As a result, intermingled with my pride, judgmentalism, and condescension, I had very low self-esteem. For while I was judging everyone else, I knew that I myself was no better … I was every bit as flawed and “bad.”
The flower in today’s background photo is among the first early-Spring perennials, coming up right alongside the daffodils. But rather than raise its beautiful bloom to the world, it hangs it’s head down toward the ground.
That’s the way I felt during those years of judgmentalism and condescension.
God had made me special … just like this flower is special … but I couldn’t stand tall in the confidence I had in Christ because I was so busy looking down on everyone else. And as a result, I was just like this flower … head hanging down towards the ground, with low self-esteem.
Breakthrough for me came when I began to get Bible teaching which informed me that we all are “bad” people. Every . single . one . of . us! Not one of us is “good.” It doesn’t matter how “good” we look. We all are “bad.”
Only Jesus Christ, and Jesus alone is “good.” The rest of us are all “bad” people … whom Jesus died to redeem. And whom Jesus is working daily to transform to become more and more like Himself.
Matthew 7:1-2 says: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Of course it is obvious in this verse that the measure which you judge someone else, God will use that same measure of judgement towards you.
But I think there is more to it. I think that as you judge someone else, your own conscience judges and condemns you, at the same time. That is certainly what was happening in my own life.
The more judgmental I was towards other people, the more my own conscience condemned me. The more I looked down on other people, the lower my own self-esteem sank.
It wasn’t until I got my eyes off other people, and focused my attention on Jesus, and Jesus alone … that’s when the judgmentalism and condescension was conquered in my own life.
There’s no reason to focus on other people.
Jesus alone is the only “good” person. By keeping our gaze focused solely upon Jesus, we will be able to “bloom” beautifully … just the way He has made us, in the exact the location where He has “planted” us … standing tall in the confidence we have in Him!
