But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ~1 Samuel 16:7
The judgement of you by others can be really painful. Sure, some of us have mastered the art of not caring about what others think, still many of us hate the sting of judgement. In a sense, negative judgement by others can feel quite a lot like rejection.
People will judge you based on your race, your religion, your lack of education, past mistakes, who you choose to love, and the list can go on and on and on. Honestly, we are all guilty of judging someone at some point or another. I wonder what it is about us that makes us feel that we have the right to judge others.
Who are we that we judge the way others live their lives, especially when their decisions won't really have an effect on our lives one way or the other? Are we so perfect that we can't be judged ourselves?
One thing I know for sure is that if we would all take the time to look long and hard in the mirror we wouldn't have so much time to point fingers at what we think is wrong with the lives of others (Matthew 7:3).
We all have a thing that we could focus on and learn to do better.
Don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as righteous judgement, but how many of us really judge people solely based on what the Word of God says? Quite frankly, most people judge the lives of others with an arrogance that they have the right to do so because they haven't done some of the things others have done. For example, people judge single mothers for having children without being married, yet they don't see any issues with the sex they are having while they themselves are not married (things that make you go hmmm).
Thank goodness that God sees past all the things people see. This is very evident as we look all throughout the bible. Those that many people deemed as unwanted and rejected, God chose to use in mighty ways to show His grace and power in the lives of the undesired.
There are going to be people that will judge and reject you on many levels. You just have to be comfortable that you are who you are and be ok with that. People will judge and reject your happiness because it doesn't come the way they think it should. People will judge and reject your success because maybe your success came despite the credentials you don't have but have gotten far without those things. People will judge and reject your gifts because they don't understand the hell you had to go through to receive the anointing behind those gifts.
People sometimes judge you based on past mistakes, so when you make a decision that looks similar to something you've done before they automatically discount you and your decision instead of seeing the growth in you and your ability to do things differently.
I have a strong will and that strong will has sometimes caused me to do things that didn't work out for my best interest. However, when I truly gave my life to Christ, God began to use that same strong will to lead me down some paths that would take great strength to travel. Possibly, He is using that strong will to help me travel some paths that require me to let go of some people and things in order to get blessings that He has for me. If I listened to the judgement of others maybe I wouldn't be experiencing some of the most joyful moments I've ever had right now.
People will judge you because of their lack of experience. It's always easy to judge the actions of others when you have no idea what it's like to walk in their shoes. There are some people who have achieved everything they set out to do in life, so it's hard for them to understand or even tolerate when people make decisions that they have never made. But, it doesn't give them the authority to automatically put their negative thoughts on someone else's situation. Why is it easier to doom the outcome of another's decision instead of hoping for the best and speaking life into the outcome of that situation?
Someone may be judging the fact that you are not afraid to make unpopular decisions because they themselves have always done everything right in the eyes of everyone else. While this may not be the case for everyone, more people probably wished they didn't live such robotic lives and could loosen up a little to live life in a way that made total sense to them and made them happy.
Here's a little tip on dealing with judgmental people: if they want to judge you, let them. Don't waste your energy on being hurt by their judgement of you. I know that is hard to do, especially when it comes from people that you care about the most. Even when it comes from those closest to you, if you know that you spent time with God about any decision you made or have learned to understand that He has forgiven you for making foolish decisions- then even the judgement by those you hold closest to your heart has to make its way out of your mind and you have to let it go in your heart. In the end, everyone has an opinion, but you get to choose whether to let it have a damaging impact on your life.
Maybe this next line will give you a little encouragement: you are not the only person they are judging harshly.
Learn to listen to the conversations people have with you about others. That will always be a clear indication about the judging they are doing of you. With that being said, when you know you're dealing with a judgmental person, try not to let it hurt you so much when you know they are also judging you. Their judgement of you says more about who they are than it does about who you are. Someday they, too, will know exactly what it feels like to be judged. That day just might be on Judgment Day when the Ultimate Judge who knows all and sees all makes His judgment call.
This next statement is definitely easier said than done, but even when someone's judgment of you hurts you to your core you, as a believer in the Word of God, still have a charge to love them. Hey, I said it's easier said than done, right?
In the last few months I have literally wanted to walk away from some of my strongest relationships because of the debilitating hurt caused by the judgment of those with whom I am in those relationships. Thank God I have a wise sister who encouraged me to continue to show love (John 13:34-35), and just choose not to share that part of my life with the ones standing in judgment of me. I've had to learn to forgive and be fine with their opinion.
Today, if you are hurting because of someone's judgement of your life, remember that there is One who sees more deeply into your heart than those who are judging you. Ask God to help you to let go of the pain of the judgement of others in your life. Let God show you how much He delights in you and loves you despite your mistakes and because of those same mistakes He has caused you to grow into someone with a heart of understanding and love for others even in the midst of them making choices you wouldn't make for your own life.
Something else I am learning is that when someone else's judgement of me has no biblical reference AT ALL, then their judgement doesn't really need to have such a huge role in my life. Don't get me wrong, the people that really love you may question decisions based on that love for you. However, their love for you should outweigh their judgement of your situation and cause them to be supportive of you even when they have reservations about your decisions.
Another thing, as I have spent time reflecting on my own life I realized that the decisions I made that hurt me actually helped me. What I mean by that is every single decision I made that wasn't wise, I owned up to them, faced them, confessed them to God and allowed Him to grow me through the consequences of those decisions. See, life doesn't have to be over because we make an unwise decision unless we give power to the consequences of those decisions to take our lives. Undoubtedly, I will make more decisions that won't yield the best results, but just as I have done in the past, I will let the consequences grow me and draw me closer to God. After all, could it be that as long as God gives us grace to live He wants to draw us closer to Him through the consequences of our foolish decisions?
My friends live your lives to the best of your ability, rely on God to bless and keep you in all of your decision making and rest in His resounding Yes instead of the damnation of judgment placed on you by others. Don't feel the need to live up to the standards of others but only the glorious standards of God. Living for God wholeheartedly will place you above the judgement of others, so when they judge you, let them.
Love, live life and be happy!
People will judge you based on your race, your religion, your lack of education, past mistakes, who you choose to love, and the list can go on and on and on. Honestly, we are all guilty of judging someone at some point or another. I wonder what it is about us that makes us feel that we have the right to judge others.
Who are we that we judge the way others live their lives, especially when their decisions won't really have an effect on our lives one way or the other? Are we so perfect that we can't be judged ourselves?
One thing I know for sure is that if we would all take the time to look long and hard in the mirror we wouldn't have so much time to point fingers at what we think is wrong with the lives of others (Matthew 7:3).
We all have a thing that we could focus on and learn to do better.
Don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as righteous judgement, but how many of us really judge people solely based on what the Word of God says? Quite frankly, most people judge the lives of others with an arrogance that they have the right to do so because they haven't done some of the things others have done. For example, people judge single mothers for having children without being married, yet they don't see any issues with the sex they are having while they themselves are not married (things that make you go hmmm).
Thank goodness that God sees past all the things people see. This is very evident as we look all throughout the bible. Those that many people deemed as unwanted and rejected, God chose to use in mighty ways to show His grace and power in the lives of the undesired.
There are going to be people that will judge and reject you on many levels. You just have to be comfortable that you are who you are and be ok with that. People will judge and reject your happiness because it doesn't come the way they think it should. People will judge and reject your success because maybe your success came despite the credentials you don't have but have gotten far without those things. People will judge and reject your gifts because they don't understand the hell you had to go through to receive the anointing behind those gifts.
People sometimes judge you based on past mistakes, so when you make a decision that looks similar to something you've done before they automatically discount you and your decision instead of seeing the growth in you and your ability to do things differently.
I have a strong will and that strong will has sometimes caused me to do things that didn't work out for my best interest. However, when I truly gave my life to Christ, God began to use that same strong will to lead me down some paths that would take great strength to travel. Possibly, He is using that strong will to help me travel some paths that require me to let go of some people and things in order to get blessings that He has for me. If I listened to the judgement of others maybe I wouldn't be experiencing some of the most joyful moments I've ever had right now.
People will judge you because of their lack of experience. It's always easy to judge the actions of others when you have no idea what it's like to walk in their shoes. There are some people who have achieved everything they set out to do in life, so it's hard for them to understand or even tolerate when people make decisions that they have never made. But, it doesn't give them the authority to automatically put their negative thoughts on someone else's situation. Why is it easier to doom the outcome of another's decision instead of hoping for the best and speaking life into the outcome of that situation?
Someone may be judging the fact that you are not afraid to make unpopular decisions because they themselves have always done everything right in the eyes of everyone else. While this may not be the case for everyone, more people probably wished they didn't live such robotic lives and could loosen up a little to live life in a way that made total sense to them and made them happy.
Here's a little tip on dealing with judgmental people: if they want to judge you, let them. Don't waste your energy on being hurt by their judgement of you. I know that is hard to do, especially when it comes from people that you care about the most. Even when it comes from those closest to you, if you know that you spent time with God about any decision you made or have learned to understand that He has forgiven you for making foolish decisions- then even the judgement by those you hold closest to your heart has to make its way out of your mind and you have to let it go in your heart. In the end, everyone has an opinion, but you get to choose whether to let it have a damaging impact on your life.
Maybe this next line will give you a little encouragement: you are not the only person they are judging harshly.
Learn to listen to the conversations people have with you about others. That will always be a clear indication about the judging they are doing of you. With that being said, when you know you're dealing with a judgmental person, try not to let it hurt you so much when you know they are also judging you. Their judgement of you says more about who they are than it does about who you are. Someday they, too, will know exactly what it feels like to be judged. That day just might be on Judgment Day when the Ultimate Judge who knows all and sees all makes His judgment call.
This next statement is definitely easier said than done, but even when someone's judgment of you hurts you to your core you, as a believer in the Word of God, still have a charge to love them. Hey, I said it's easier said than done, right?
In the last few months I have literally wanted to walk away from some of my strongest relationships because of the debilitating hurt caused by the judgment of those with whom I am in those relationships. Thank God I have a wise sister who encouraged me to continue to show love (John 13:34-35), and just choose not to share that part of my life with the ones standing in judgment of me. I've had to learn to forgive and be fine with their opinion.
Today, if you are hurting because of someone's judgement of your life, remember that there is One who sees more deeply into your heart than those who are judging you. Ask God to help you to let go of the pain of the judgement of others in your life. Let God show you how much He delights in you and loves you despite your mistakes and because of those same mistakes He has caused you to grow into someone with a heart of understanding and love for others even in the midst of them making choices you wouldn't make for your own life.
Something else I am learning is that when someone else's judgement of me has no biblical reference AT ALL, then their judgement doesn't really need to have such a huge role in my life. Don't get me wrong, the people that really love you may question decisions based on that love for you. However, their love for you should outweigh their judgement of your situation and cause them to be supportive of you even when they have reservations about your decisions.
Another thing, as I have spent time reflecting on my own life I realized that the decisions I made that hurt me actually helped me. What I mean by that is every single decision I made that wasn't wise, I owned up to them, faced them, confessed them to God and allowed Him to grow me through the consequences of those decisions. See, life doesn't have to be over because we make an unwise decision unless we give power to the consequences of those decisions to take our lives. Undoubtedly, I will make more decisions that won't yield the best results, but just as I have done in the past, I will let the consequences grow me and draw me closer to God. After all, could it be that as long as God gives us grace to live He wants to draw us closer to Him through the consequences of our foolish decisions?
My friends live your lives to the best of your ability, rely on God to bless and keep you in all of your decision making and rest in His resounding Yes instead of the damnation of judgment placed on you by others. Don't feel the need to live up to the standards of others but only the glorious standards of God. Living for God wholeheartedly will place you above the judgement of others, so when they judge you, let them.
Love, live life and be happy!