The past two mornings we have woken up to snow covering the ground. Here you can see a photo of our front flowerbed. It looks pitiful … three small rhododendrons and a few small lavender plants … all weighed down and droopy from the heavy early-Spring snow.
The past few blog posts have been about religious judgmentalism, and a condescending attitude towards others.
Religious judgmentalism is sin.
Sin which infects and affects everything about us.
Religious judgmentalism infects our hearts and minds, much like cancer. It poisons our soul. It makes us spiritually sick. The love of Jesus is no longer able to flow in and through us, because the cancer of pride is consuming our soul.
Religious judgmentalism affects our relationships with others. People can tell. People can tell when we are secretly judging them in the hidden places of our hearts.
Because people feel judged and condemned, they in turn close off their heart to us (for protection). The “relational gardens” we have with others start to look like the flowerbed pictured in today’s background photo.
Icy … cold … weighed down.
This is what relationships look like when we judge others … and have a condescending attitude towards others.
What is not obvious in the photo is that there is actually all kinds of plant-life in this “barren” cold, snowy flowerbed. Underneath the surface … there are 9 hostas … there are 5 pink/purple astilbe … there are three different unique varieties of fuchsias … there is columbine … there are bluebells … and more.
Underneath the surface.
What is needed? … for all this amazing plant life to fill the flowerbed with beauty and blooms?
Warmth.
The warmth of the gentle sunshine … the warming weather of Spring … and this flowerbed will come alive with greenery and life and beauty!
It is the same when it comes to our “relational gardens” with others. If we have a judgmental, condescending attitude towards others it is like icy, cold snow covering the “relational garden” with a heavy weight of condemnation.
But if we repent and let go of judgmentalism … then the loving warmth of Jesus is once again free to flow in and through our life to others!
The warmth of the love of Jesus will be like the warmth of the gentle sunshine … like the warming weather of Spring. As the warmth of Jesus permeates our life … we’ll start to see our “relational gardens” with others come alive.
Life, once hidden beneath the surface (for protection) will start to emerge. Things we never knew about that person before. There will be openness in communication … trust will be rebuilt … freedom to share anything and everything … laughter … mutual life-giving encouragement.
Our “relational gardens” will fill with greenery and life and beauty!
It just takes warmth. The warmth of the love of Jesus.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” – Ephesians 5:1-2
