What is it with people where we only seem to see what HASN'T been done, rather the the copious amounts of things that, in any given situation, HAVE been done!!!
I was reminded of that once again in so many different contexts this week, and is something I have been thinking through in a number of different situations, some that I have been involved with, and some I have heard about. Why is it so easy for us to criticize others and pull them down? Why are we so quick to judge, and condemn, to give 'the answer' when we have no idea of the situation really.
We had a great sermon last week on it too! James 4:11-12 says.. Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you- who are you to judge your neighbour?
One of the most striking things the minister said about this was that he went through a list of things the church would rightly fire him for, in terms of misconduct unbecoming to the clergy(or anyone for that matter!). He then came to slander, and stopped. According to this, yes, we are all guilty of sinning each time we judge and condemn another..... and yes we do it so often, and so often without thinking about it, or the rightness or wrongness of it. It has certainly made me stop and think each time I have thought about saying something less than kind about another person, but has made me realize how often I do it, and how much a part of our society it is, and how acceptable it is to slander another person(in words, or action), either someone we know, or someone in leadership, or someone famous.
Too often we don't know the whole story, we don't know the person's motivation, and we don't know the answer! It is such an easy thing to do, and so easy to slip into.. but how wonderful to live in a slander-free society!!
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