But who am I to judge that? Why am I so quick to jump on the judgment train? Am I the only one who does that? What do I know about the circumstances surrounding that person? The honest answer is that I don't, and it's really unfair of me to automatically jump there.
That got me to thinking, why do I go there? I'm not jealous of these people. I don't want to be them. No, I'm pretty content and satisfied with my life. In fact I'm blessed beyond what I deserve. So why then do I find it so easy to hop on that train of judgment? The more I've thought about it, the more my mind has been coming back to this: there's something I'm not turning over to God.
It's become clear to me that when these thoughts come to my mind instead of rolling my eyes, perhaps I need to close my eyes in prayer. Maybe I need to pray that that couple is as happy as that picture appears and that God blesses them for many more happy pictures. Maybe I need to pray that the feeling that person had when they wrote the mushy post never fades. I'd love to see more marriages succeed instead of fail, so why not love the happiness that they're sharing?
See it's not a them problem, it's a heart problem, sometimes it's my heart. I tell my girls that if someone is being unkind to them, it's not really about my daughter, it's about the other person's heart. Apparently that's true of my heart as well. My heart needs to remember to be prayerful for others, and not just those that I'm close to, but everyone that I encounter. I need to remember to turn my negative thoughts into prayerful moments and hope for the future.
Today in church, the title was "who do you resemble?" It seemed to be exactly what my heart and mind had been thinking. When I'm passing judgment, I'm not resembling my maker. When I'm offering love and hope, I am. That's the person I want to be, the one that resembles God, not the one riding the judgment train.
It's easy to be a critic, it's the sinful nature of us all. It takes a bigger person to be a cheerleader and hope for and believe the best for others. So from now on, I'm going to work harder on praying for you, and being your biggest fan. I want to help raise you up. If we all believed in each other and cheered each other on instead of judging each other, we'd be so much better off. I'm hopping off the judgment training and onto the train of hope and love!
Here's to you and your happiness!!
