Sunday, March 15, 2009

Judgement

And here I didn't think I had anything to post today. I usually try to limit my Sunday posts to thoughts on my faith. I didn't really have any deep thoughts on anything until just a few minutes ago when I moderated my comments.

I had one from an anonymous reader -- the ones who want to slam you for something usually seem to prefer anonymity -- on a post I wrote a couple of years ago about my youngest daughter, Megan, deciding that she didn't believe in Santa anymore. I thought it was just a sweet little post about a childhood rite of passage, but apparently it goes much deeper than that because a lot of people have dug it out of the archives and let me know exactly what they think of me for it.

I had one person, claiming to be an 11-year-old girl, comment that I was basically an ogre for even suggesting that there was no such thing as Santa. Then, today, I get a comment about how I am lying to my kids and that the person leaving the comment would much rather please God than men, so she (or he) is therefore not going to give in to that hog wash about Santa. (I rejected both comments the second, but later wished I'd just approved both of them, so you could see for yourself the degree of contrasting opinions.) So, apparently, I have been judged and found lacking in my commitment to pleasing God based on the fact that St. Nicholas is a part of our family's Christmas celebration.

Do you guys read my blog? Do you know how much I try to avoid confrontation? Sheesh!

Why do we have to spend so much time and energy judging people -- and subsequently their level of faith or spirituality -- based on things that don't matter? I mean, seriously, is letting my kids believe in Santa something that is going to keep me out of Heaven? We're on the same team, folks. Let's not be so quick to bash and judge one another.

Jesus had a bit to say on these sorts of things:

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread of drinking wine and you say, "He has a demon." The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you say, "Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and 'sinners"..." (Luke 7:33-34)

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

(Matthew 7: 1-5)

I'm sure that Jesus was talking about things a lot more important that whether our kids believe in Santa or not. However, we do this to each other over all kinds of things: the music we listen to, the type of clothes we wear to church, what kind of church we go go, what day of the week we go to church, whether we let our kids be a "light to the world" or, instead, "shelter and overprotect" them in our homeschools, even how we homeschool. It's crazy!

I totally and completely believe that we are called to have a level of discernment about our world and the things we do. This comes straight from Jesus, too:

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

However, that doesn't mean that we have to vilify each other over things that aren't salvation issues. We all have differences of opinion. We may even have a different interpretation of various parts of Scripture. Thankfully, one thing is true:

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

And, I hope that when my God looks at my heart, He sees a heart that has tried to serve Him despite my shortcomings as a human being. And, I hope that when I look at you, I see a person worthy of God's love, even if I don't agree with everything that you say and do.

Stepping off my soap-box,

Print Friendly and PDF
Posted by Kris at 4:08 PM
Labels:

17 comments:

  1. A HUGE Amen to that and my thoughts on how awesome a mom, woman and sister in the gospel you are!!! Keep it up!!
    ReplyDelete
  2. Hugs. I'm sorry that you are being poked by people who just want to stir the pot. Sometimes people judge and attack others because it is too hard to take a close look at their own life and actions. Sending hugs your way and hoping they made the naughty list ;)
    ReplyDelete
  3. This is quite a timely post for me, thank you for the reminder. I need to try and forget what others think of my desicions provided I am not going against Gods word.

    While my fiance and I have no issues with women working before children coming, we have decided it would be more benificial for us in my case that I not look for work outside the house. This is causing issues, I haven't been brave enough to 'come out' about my decision to a lot of people yet. The ones I have aren't so happy. I suppose their judgment shouldn't mean anything to me, it just does anyway heh.
    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh also timely here... I'm so on the same page. I've had a few instances at church where I have seen some judging going on all in the name of spirituality. Matthew 7:1-5 is definitely one that would apply here.

    Coming from a more non-denominational background, I wish people would recognize and understand that everyone is in different places spiritualy. Our faith walks are not cookie-cutter, just as God made each of us all different and unique. What he teaches one he does so in a different way another.

    Probably not exactly what you are talking about... but the verse you gave struck me.... and I guess hit home in the arena of judging where a person or people are at spiritually. :-)
    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks, ladies, for the positive comments. Jess, thank you for the affirmation and, TuTu, oh, you made me laugh!

    Abba, I totally agree...if you decided to work, you'd have people thinking that you shouldn't. It doesn't matter what we do, we'll never please everyone. As long as we're doing our best to please the One who really matters and aren't going against His Word, I think we're okay.

    Jackie, isn't it a shame that Christians are some of the worst to do this to each other?
    ReplyDelete
  6. Goes to show you can't please everyone, so don't worry about the ogres who are lacking in Christian love. Pray for them.
    ReplyDelete
  7. I was struggling with this whether or not to continue with Santa a couple of years ago. During that time, Dr. James Dobson came on the radio and said that there is absolutly nothing wrong with having "Santa" and that it goes along with what makes childhood magical. Imagination. We continued with Santa for several years after that but we always made Christ our primary focus as most of us here do. ;0)
    ReplyDelete
  8. "In essentials, unity;
    in non-essentials, liberty;
    in all things, charity."
    -Philip Melanchthon (contemporary of Luther).

    I love this quote but sometimes find myself forgetting to live by it. And of course, even if all Christians did live by it, there would still be disagreements on which things are "essentials". (One would hope that most Christians would agree that what you believe and teach about Jesus is an essential and what you teach your kids about Santa is not.)

    I have to wrestle with this personally even within my own 4 walls as my husband and older kids (21 & 18) sometimes make choices that don't line up with MY long- and dearly-held conservative standards of "Christian behavior". I have to take a look again at what is really *essential* and what isn't. Often when I really stop to look at things & pray about them, I find that my own reaction to whatever they are doing/saying is less "Christian" than the behavior I am finding fault with. (Ouch.)
    ReplyDelete
  9. I just had a comment on one of my blogs the other day that just made me say, "What the heck? Do you have nothing better to do than seek out people you disagree with and leave comments on their blog?" Of course, I didn't actually say that. I rejected their comment, because darn it -- they were misguided in their statement and I didn't want it there. LOL ;)

    This reminds me though -- I had an experience at Christmas time at religious education pick up time. I was talking to a Mom about Christmas, Santa, etc. One Mom that was also talking to us declared, "Well, I just like being honest with my kids. I don't want to be a liar, so I refused to lie to them about Santa." Let me tell you -- I couldn't even fanthom what to say. LOL Being me though, I couldn't help it but to say, "So, what you're saying is that you just think we're big liars?" She said, "I just don't want to lie to my kids," but with an emphasis on *I*, as in, yes, you are a big liar. Augh.

    We have always let there be absolutely no question that in our house, Christmas is about Jesus. But, when they learned about Santa and were excited, we went with it. It was pretty surprising to be called a liar right to my face because of it though.
    ReplyDelete
  10. If that's who I think it is, she really *is* an 11 year old girl. ;-)

    I have to check something.. but I think it is.
    ReplyDelete
  11. okay nevermind - I had the name slightly mixed up. Very close, but two letters off LOL (Sierra vs Sienna) ...don't both posting these comments. Should've had my coffee first LOL :-P
    ReplyDelete
  12. Angie,

    That was *exactly* my thought about not having anything better to do! The person who left the comment yesterday found the post through a Google search with the keywords "no such thing as Santa Claus" -- or something along those lines -- and stayed around just long enough to read that post and comment.

    I found myself thinking, "Seriously? You've got nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than to search out something you disagree with and give a total stranger a piece of your mind??"

    Of course, I have to be careful with that line of thinking and not cross the line and turn MY judgement on that person.
    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi, I'm new to your blog and I love what I read here. Thanks so much for being a voice out there. I've nominated you for an award on my blog. :)
    ReplyDelete
  14. Well said. I used to be there, though. I thought every Christian had to agree with me to be right with God. You know, cause I was right with God... so how could they be right with God and disagree with anything I said??? I didn't realize how self righteous, graceless and faithless I was. Christians often get so hung up on the "be ye separate" command, that they forget all the passages that quite literally say bend over backwards to "maintain unity" in the body of Christ. They strain knats and swallow camels. Seems like if unbelievers are taking out their trash, certain Christians may consider keeping theirs, just to be separate. Then they even go on to condemn other Christians cause they have the gumption to still throw out their trash. In our efforts to "be separate," we often end up separating from each other, something Scripture admonishes us not to do again and again... and we end up tearing each other to pieces and giving unbelievers an opportunity to slander God. I think it takes a level of spiritual maturity to allow another believer to follow God differently than you do on "little things" like this, things Scripture explains are matters of personal conscience before God (Romans 14). And it takes another level of maturity to admit there are such things as "little things" in the first place. I am a lady who doesn't "do Santa." I feel REALLY strongly about it, too! But, I feel even stronger that I have no place to condemn anyone who does things differently.
    ReplyDelete
  15. Veronica,

    I feel like that scene in Charlie Brown where he bowls Lucy over backwards, yelling, "That's it!"

    See, I'm thinking you and I could still have coffee (okay, I'd drink tea) and discuss any number of issues and it'd still be okay that you feel really strongly about NOT doing Santa and I don't. The truth is, I'd probably agree with some of your reasons.

    I have friends who are very much "quiver-full" while I'm content with my three kids. We can discuss family size and not have it become a heated debate because we respect one another.

    I use that example because I had some folks be really judgmental about the whole quiver-full issue to the point that when I met one particular friend for the first time I thought we'd never be more than aquaintences. She's now one of my closest friends.

    We, as Christians, need to quit allowing ourselves to be divided over things that aren't salvation issues.

    Homeschoolers do this, too. School-at-home or unschool? Classical or Charlotte Mason? Who cares! We get enough bashing from the world.

    And, the truth, for those of us who are Christian, is no one was ever won to Christ through condemnation. I personally don't need any millstones tied around my neck for becoming someone's stumbling block.
    ReplyDelete
  16. every few months or so there seems to be a 'migration' of ugly trolls through the blogashpear. this is happening this week on many blogs of all kinds, i see several comments here from bloggers already to this fact. unfortutely its becoming more and more a fact of life for the blogger. i think it might have something to do with spring break on this side of the world. all those kids out of school with literally nothing better to do.
    dont let these people impede you with sharing your thoughts and experiences. you've got a good blog. keep it up.
    ReplyDelete
  17. I like to say that we are under MUCH GRACE. Sorry you are on the receiving end of such nonsense. The hazards of blogging!
    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment! I may not be able to reply to each one, but I read them all.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)