Would People Know

If you saw me, would my actions display my Christianity? I'd like to think that they do. However, I have caught myself lately when I am about to say something that isn't right. I think a big thing I struggle with is judgment. When was the last time you gossiped about somebody? When was the last time you didn't judge someone for their own decisions? Its a tough topic and I realize that. It's silly because a lot of girls "bond" over talking poorly about other people. Who's to say another group of girls aren't talking about you too? It's naïve to think that nobody has ever talked about you. What if you could turn the gossip into a good conversation. I would love it if people would say something like "wow, that Shannon girl is super strong in her faith." or "she's like super Christian." Even if it is people who disagree with me, I would love for people to see me and see how I live for something other than myself. I would think it was the coolest thing ever if you could tell I was a Christian the instant you met me.

I was talking to my best friend about judgment and it's very apparent in our society. When we see someone who's overweight we talk about it and say "wow, they're huge" and think it's funny. But we don't even see past that one element of the person. The person is not just their silly label, they are a human with feelings just like us. And who knows, maybe they are trying to lose weight and it's judgmental people who are preventing them from moving forward. That's just one example, but judgment is very prevalent in anything we do. I, of course, judge people just like everybody else; but it is something I am trying to get better at.

Lately I have been trying to get better at vocalizing my judgment. If I vocalize what my poor judgment is on someone, it is only giving the other person the obligation to agree or have something stupid to talk about. By keeping my mouth shut, I am forcing myself not to get confirmation that judgment is okay because it is not.

I want everyone to see the kind of love that Jesus has. Jesus doesn't judge anyone for anything. Even though we are sinners, trying to love people like Jesus did can really change a person. If people can realize that that kind of love exists, think about all the people you could change. We may think that we are only one person and we can't have much of an impact on people but that just isn't true. Changing even one person could lead to a chain reaction. Maybe that person has decided now to be there for someone who was in their position.

It's not an easy thing to do, but I am praying and trying to become more cautious of when I am being judgmental.

love y'all

Shayyy