Why do we judge and judge so harshly?

I've heard it said, "Christians shoot their own wounded". I used to think that this statement was a bit harsh. I mean, Christians are full of Christ's love. We reach out to others all in the name of Jesus Christ, don't we? We are honoring God by confronting those among us who are in sin, because we know better, right? We've dealt with people enough to know who is worthy of our Christ's love and who isn't...those who are "good people" and those who are "people like that", aren't we glad we know the difference? We've studied God's Word in depth and we KNOW that our understanding of Scriptures is exactly what God wants and everyone else is wrong, we're so spiritual aren't we? In our own self-righteousness, we tend to get so wrapped up in how spiritual we are and how wrong someone else is that we either demean them or judge them to the point of actually shooting them in the very core of their belief~their faith.

In His graciousness, God has taken me on another field trip (I can't wait until I learn all the lessons I need to learn in the classroom, instead of on another side trip....). No two field trips have ever been the same for me. My God is incredible and uses many different means to get my attention. This field trip has been as much blessing as lesson for me. God has allowed me to fall deeper in love with Him and to have a glimpse of people through His eyes. He's allowed me friendships that are rich and deep even though these friendships are relatively new. When I see people the way He does, they become special. Relationships become sweet and the goal of the friendship becomes to cause both friends to know God more. The friendship becomes the field trip.

As I am learning to see people the way He does, I am learning to judge less and listen more. I'm learning to offer love and friendship and not offering a "fix" that will make that person more spiritual. I am learning to pray for people and wait upon God to work His good work in their life, rather than trying to fix their life. I'm learning that love and friendship is the best way that I can offer Jesus' love....for my Jesus came to show the world God's love.

The amazing part of this field trip is that I'm learning that it's not "people like that", the wounded ones, that I'm having a hard time loving. Instead, it is the "good people" who I'm struggling to love. My field trip lesson seems to also include learning to offer friendship and love to the Christians who are so bent on shooting the wounded...those who judging them and judging them harshly rather than loving and listening.

The hardest lesson, God is showing me that the reason I'm having such a hard time loving and befriending the harsh Christians is because I am one. I can't tell you how much it hurts to admit that allowed. I don't want to be one. I don't want to stand before my Maker and be responsible for times that I walked away from a wounded soul and consequently, they stopped pursing the Faith. I don't want Him to tell me I was responsible for shooting a wounded heart. I don't want to hear anything but "well done, good and faithful servant" from my God. However, unless I continue to change and be changed, I won't hear those words.

So, I stay on this field trip. I thank Him for the people He has put in my life. People to teach me how to love and listen...how to offer Jesus' love and friendship, And, I thank Him for the people who are teaching me that I don't want to be one who judges and judges harshly. I also am thankful for the lesson that it is harder to love the self-righteous than the wounded. While He is teaching me that it is harder to love those, He is also teaching me how to love them. Therein lies the blessing....a field trip where I am blessed with friendships that teach me more than I could ever offer them. Thank you LORD!