Judgement or grace?

Lately, God has been teaching me a lot about how situations appear. I am usually the first to argue a different side to a perspective in order to give someone the benefit of the doubt. I usually find that many times the things I say or the things I write come off completely different then I mean for them two and so having my self been misjudged quit often I try very hard to figure out who someone really is. What about my own misconceived perceptions? I am human and am not void of preconceived notions that are entirely wrong and create a judgement of someone without giving them the voice to explain or finding out the truth behind the words.

There have been more then a few people in the last week that I have realized some of my own quick judgments about. We all seem to either know or be someone who is very quickly labled. Something they say sounds like...., they have a history of so they will always go back to...., they are boy/girl crazy, they are too much like...., you know what fills in the blanks. But what then of grace? What of the way that Christ tells us to love each other and encourage one another, to stir one another to love in good deeds?

We are called to give grace to those undeserving as we too are undeserving and to not forget that God has a purpose for each one of us in the body. We need to encourage each other and build each other up and put our hope and trust that Christ will finish the work in each one of us. Some of us are not from believing families and are always going to have an unchurchy past, some of us are from church families but are still human as well. Some people just need to be given a chance....over and over and over again as the Holy Spirit is working through us. We need to believe others can change rather then assume they will always fall in a life given completely over to sin.

I have been on the side where it felt like I kept ending up in the same spot, the same confort zone over and over again. It was sad because I did love God and still do and tried so hard to pursue him. People in my life were very quick to judge my mistakes and always assume I was going to end up back there again. Everytime I said something they did not understand I was left trying to defend myself again. Leadership and close friends always seem to jump to the wrong conclusion quickly. At some point, or many points I would give up for my past was easier then always dealing with people in my life who always questioned my motives and always assumend the worse. There is power in the body even if it is a negative power. We need to remember the effect we have on someone especially when all they get is judgement from us. Let us remember we are called to help someone pursue Christ and throw the rest away. That does not mean it is our job to beat them up everytime that they make a mistake.

So even toward people in my life now I am going to pursue those who may seem like they are struggling. I am so encouraged to see people, give them a chance and leave it to God to do the rest. It is not my job to perfect them nor yours but Christ's. I am thankful that He reminded me that someone once gave me a chance and she believed that I would do better. There was not a judgement and expectation that I would fall, but rather the expectation that I would pursue God and that I could live a life for Him. I too needed this reminder but it has renewed my love for people that were once like me, or those who are nothing like me....basically the need to show grace and love.