You know what is weird to me?
It’s weird to me that the church is so anti-legalism and anti-judgmentalism……that they are judgmental about it.
I have always found that ironic.
Growing up, we frequently had people accusing us of legalism and judgmentalism. Looking back, I can understand more of why they perceived it that way, although I still think that in many cases they were wrong.
What they were definitely wrong about though? They were definitely wrong about a couple things
1. Lumping us all together. Because our family as a unit did or practiced certain things, therefore all of our hearts were legalistic and we were judging all other people who did differently. This doesn’t even make sense. All people are unique individuals and all people are at different points in their walks with God. Maybe we were all legalistic. Maybe half of us were. Maybe only one of us was. Maybe none of us was. To say that all of us were legalistic is a huge assumption.
2. Judging our hearts. I have seen this so many times. It hits me pretty hard because I have been personally attacked so many times. It hurts a lot to be accused and it can be so hard to get false accusations out of your head and heart. Judging the status of people’s hearts before God is going a bit far.
People assumed the motivation behind our choices.
People were upset at us for judging them.
People talked about us behind our backs and said painful things.
People wouldn’t even talk to us to ask why we did what we did. They assumed.
In short…people judged us for our conservative choices. Our whole family was a taboo. My husband had a couple people telling him he should not marry me because of a few specific things. That weren’t even true. I thank God that the Pilot didn’t listen to them and instead got to know me and got to know the truth.
Did I have legalism in my life? Yes. But I think that the situations in which I was legalistic would surprise most people. I still have people who have painted me into a box and refuse to see any other colors on the canvas. Preconceived ideas and notions keep people from getting to know me.
Why are people labeled as judgmental and legalistic just for being conservative?
And why is it ok to judge people’s conservative choices?
And why is it ok to judge conservatives for judging you?
I get that it is a complicated issue. I get that a lot of times conservative choices can be legalistic. (News flash: Choices made in the name of “Christian liberty” can also be legalistic!) I get that there is a lot of baggage surrounding the whole issue.
But judgment isn’t the answer. To accuse someone of legalism, especially without knowing the facts or the state of their heart, is judgmentalism.
If you are concerned about someone, by all means talk to them. Please do not make accusations. Do not talk behind their back. Do not assume.
And please be careful casting the first stone. Legalism comes in many forms, and so does judgmentalism.
Standards, conservative or not, come down to a person’s personal relationship with God. We ought not judge “liberal” people or “conservative” people simply for making choices that are different from ours.
I understand this post could seem ironic. I don’t intend to judge others in my comments about judging. 😉 I merely hope to spark conversation or perhaps cause each of us to stop and think about our thoughts and words toward others.
Thoughts?
-Bonnie
Life with You 