Mom Heart Moments #201

Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.

MY HEART HAS BEEN GREATLY troubled in the past year as I have observed the harsh and hateful ways Christians have blasted judgment of others —groups, politicians, leaders, broken people, immigrants, women in distress, nonbelievers, and those of different belief systems —over the internet. Often, they talk of those they are criticizing as though they are not real people with real lives and real feelings.

I understand many believe it is their “Christian duty” to espouse, with confidence, objections to those who do not share their values or beliefs. But in teaching our children manners, modeling how to minister to people, and seeking to understand that it is the kindness and mercy of God that leads to repentance, I believe we must consider how to offer our messages and convictions to the world in the same manner Jesus offered Himself and His teachings to the world.

There is a way to verbalize convictions without bearing emotional hostility and blatant animosity. When I ponder Christ, I see a different standard of relating to others. He speaks of love. He models love and sacrifices Himself for the sake of loving redemption of the many who are lost in brokenness.

Jesus, the holy Lamb of God, who was pure and spotless and had the right to condemn sinners, chose not to humiliate them publicly. So why would I think that I, one of the very sinners He saved, have the right to publicly condemn others?

He who bowed His knee to serve accepted the tears of a broken, adulterous woman washing His feet. He overlooked and did not highlight the many weaknesses or sins of those who surrounded Him, including His disciples. His modeling of love satisfies my heart’s cry for a display of holy honor and propriety and self-control in all interactions —even those online.

Does your way of relating to others online honor Christ’s example?