Gifted at Being Judgmental

Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 1 Samuel 7:15

As I may have previously mentioned, I enjoy participating in CrossFit competitions which involve various exercises such as weightlifting, pull-ups, and burpees. For the competition to be fair, the same standard of movement must be applied to everyone. It wouldn’t be equitable for one competitor to do half pull-ups while the other gets his (or her) chin above the bar every time. To enforce these standards, every athlete in competition has a judge. When the judge encounters a movement that doesn’t meet the standard, his job is to yell, “No rep!”, meaning it was not a valid repetition and that that effort didn’t count. If you don’t do it right, the judge’s job is to let you know exactly what you did wrong.

In competition, I prefer to be the athlete. In the rest of life though, I like to judge. Like most of us, I’m pretty good at seeing when others make bad choices. Maybe I don’t yell, “No rep!”, but when I witness anyone doing anything that I disapprove of, I roll my inner eyes and I judge. What an idiot. How can anyone be so dumb? Sure, I’ve been addicted, made terrible life choices, and lost my job, but that was a long time ago. Now I’ve recovered. I’ve dealt with my mess and now, quite pleased with myself, I find that I’m prideful, condescending, and judgmental.

I’m sure everyone does this a little, but as Christians, we’re particularly prone to being judgmental, which is probably one of the most repulsive things about us. We believe in right and wrong and, like most people, we’re good at seeing failure in others, while remaining blind to our own flaws. Armed with the confidence that we’re on God’s side, we look down on everyone else. Often oblivious to our own struggles, we see ourselves as modern-day Samuels – appointed by God to judge the world.

The problem of course, is that I’m not Samuel. I’m not called by God to be judgmental. This doesn’t mean that I turn a blind eye to right and wrong. There are absolutely times when I must address bad behavior. When I meet a patient who’s using drugs, I can’t pretend that his conduct is anything but destructive. In that sense, I do judge, but I must do so without being judgmental. I’ve been there. I want to help. The difference is in me. Do I approach others with pride and condescension? Or do I embrace humility, remembering my own failures? I certainly will have to address right and wrong in the world, but, as a follower of Christ, I must always do so without being arrogant, condescending, or judgmental.