Don't Judge Me...

"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?" -Matthew 7:3-4

"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin." -Psalm 32:3-5

"Don't judge me."

It's become the rallying cry of our culture.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? You're no better than me!"

We live in a world where we want to do what we want to do, and when people push back against that, we don't like it much. And it seems like the church has become the bulls-eye of these accusations.

The church has not lived up to who it was called to be. We have far too often stood inside our walls commenting and belittling those outside them. Our words have carried everything EXCEPT grace and love. And we have become a great place for people to come and mask their flaws and call out the brokenness in others.


You see, it's MUCH easier to find the flaws in others and hide our own. It's not a church problem. It's a people problem. "Maybe," we think, "if everyone is noticing everyone ELSE'S problems they won't have time to see mine." So we build up walls and put on faces. And we live our lives the way we want and won't listen when others tell us no. "Don't judge me!" we cry out.

But I think there is something better. Jesus has a better way. As he talks to his disciples one day, actually in his very first time meeting with them as a group, he gives them a picture of what it means to follow him. They are going to be the inner circle so to speak, the ones who most closely will get to see what it looks like to be like the rabbi. So, as Jesus often does, he uses a little metaphor.

"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?" It's a question we latch on to when we don't want others interfering in our business. "Don't judge me you hypocrite!" And if that verse was where the story ended, I'd completely agree. But he didn't stop there.

"You hypocrite," Jesus continued," first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." It's a story of community! It's a story of humility and a story of brokenness!

We are broken people. I am a broken person. I am flawed and I hurt others and I think of myself FAR more highly than I ought. I am selfish and arrogant and often fail to see the beauty and value of others' ideas and gifts. I say hateful, insincere and inconsiderate things and I'm lonely. I'm insecure and unsure of myself and my value. I'm afraid that people don't need me and people dismiss me. That's who I am in the core of my soul. That's who WE are.

And I'd much rather walk that walk with people walking with me. I'd much rather walk with people who are broken together, removing the planks from our own eyes and encouraging others to pull the sawdust from their own. This requires sacrifice. It means allowing others into our shame. It means allowing others to see our pain. It means allowing others to see the parts of our lives we spend our lives hiding.

I seek, as David sought in the psalms, to be known, to let go of my pain and shame and the things I hide that make me feel guilt. It is hard. It is embarrassing. It is SCARY. It goes against my nature to let people see the parts of me they might turn me away for. But the other side of that fear is better. I crave and fear being known. I desire and run from allowing others into my insecurity. But when our masks come off and our insecurities are left behind, we are able to walk through a door that leads to life and life to the fullest. It's when we see our imperfections that the endless and infinite love and grace that is God shines most brightly!

And this is what the church is called to be.

But let me know if you've heard this one before. The church is just a haven for hypocrites. It's a place of "No" and "You're not welcome" and "I hate you." The people inside the walls are no better than those outside them, but they are a LITTLE more self-righteous.

Well, if you haven't heard any of those accusations, I'd love to come play under the rock where you've been living. The sadder thing is that they are usually right. But they don't have to be.

The church is called to be a community of people proclaiming their brokenness and the grace that fills it in. We are called to be a people who take off our masks and admit our flaws. We are called to be a community who allows others to pluck the planks out of our eyes while we encourage others struggling in the same ways. We are called to give AND receive love and grace. We are called to offer a better way!

"Don't judge me."

It's not for me. I'd rather have friends around me who push me to something better when I'm settling for less. Friends who pull me up when I've fallen. Friends who are willing to tell me I am broken because I know that their deepest desire is to love me. I'd rather admit the depth of my deepest pain to see the infinite depths of God's love than mask it and never taste the fruits of his grace! May I will always be willing to see the brokenness in myself and allow others in. And may you join me in that walk...

forever unfinished...