Judging hurts. Don't do it.

One of the things we're taught as Christians is how much Jesus loves us. He loves us so much that He gave His life to save ours. When He was hanging on the cross, He experienced every sin I've committed, every sin you've committed ... all of our bad thoughts, hateful actions and unlovingness. He paid the ultimate price for all of our sins so that we wouldn't have to. All He asked in return is that we love each other and spread the word about what He's done for us.

Unfortunately, there are those in this world who have forgotten the first part ... love each other. We choose to only love those who are like us. Who live the same lifestyle as us. Go to the same kind of church as us. You get my point. The thing is, for us to do the second part of our mission, the part about spreading the word about Jesus' love for everyone, we have to do the first part. The word Christian means to be Christ-like. So to be like Him, we have to love everyone too. Those who aren't Christian's need to see Jesus in us. That's the ultimate way to spread His good news.

I will be the first admit that I've done a poor job at this. I've had my moments where I haven't been so nice. I've made bad, actually some awful, decisions. I've not shown others that Christ lives within me. And, it's because of this that non-Christians tend to stray away. How in the world can someone claim to be a Christian when they screw up so much? Well, fortunately, Jesus died on the cross for me because He knew ahead of time all the horrible decisions I was going to make. And, you know what, that's not an excuse to go out and live a sinful life. In fact, it's all the more reason to try as hard as I can to live a sinless one. But, we're human. The only perfect man to walk this earth was Jesus. And, I'm so very thankful that He doesn't expect me to be. He loves me even through my imperfections. In spite of all my sins and bad habits. That's true love.

One of the things I've noticed and experienced recently is that Christians, as a group, get labeled as being judgmental of those who choose to live different lifestyle than us. I'm talking about other religions, sexual preferences, etc. And, there are a lot of Christians who do this. But, not all of us. It's a stereotype.

If we're supposed to love like Jesus, don't you think that means we should love everyone ... even if they are different than us? If we don't show them love, they may never see Jesus. My mother taught me this all her life. She loved everyone. She always had an open heart. I've strived hard to be that same way.

Lately, I've experienced a bump in my journey. It's the kind of bump that once you get knocked down into it, it's hard to get back up. It's hard to see the final destination because of the trouble you're experiencing at the moment. I've experienced the kind of criticism and judgement as those who are in a minority sometimes feel. I've done all I can to show love, be open and understanding and welcoming. In return, I've received a constant judgement of my faith. I've listened to my faith and fellow Christians be called "Jesus lovers" and "Bible thumpers." Doesn't sound so bad does it? Well, the way in which it was said, it was. I actually claim to be a Jesus lover and a Bible thumper. That doesn't bother me a bit. But, it's heartbreaking to feel like you're constantly being judged because of your faith. Especially when you're being judged because of what others do. The person doing it, doesn't realize that he's doing to me exactly what he expects Christians NOT to do to him. And, I think the reason he doesn't see is, is because I don't fit the typical stereotype of the judgmental Christian. He doesn't lump me into that category. But a Christian is a Christian. And, I take offense.

One thing I've learned from this is this ... You can't expect someone to accept you for your lifestyle choices or faith choices when you aren't willing to accept them. It's a two-way street. As a Christian, I plan to still show love daily ... to everyone. And, I hope eventually it will rub off on others.