Judge not lest Ye be Judged

I have spent half of my lifetime fighting those who judged me before they knew me as I am sure most of us have. Some of us never let those people bother them, some quite simply don’t care what others think of them, but for me, I have allowed myself for too long to let other’s words destroy me. I have walked with concern of what others perception of me was and it made me a very silent human being when I should have been loud and proud.

Why is it that there are those who think they have earned some right to assume or perceive who you are or what your story is? Why don’t they just ask you who you are or what your story is? Why is it so hard to open your heart and try to get to know someone. Instead, you would believe that they are an enemy who has somehow attacked your life. The reality is you never gave them a fighting chance, and you probably never will.

As human beings we are so prone to mistreating someone because of a past person who created a defense mechanism in us that we become unsure that we can ever let anyone else in.

The biggest offenders of treating someone with disrespect and looking at them with disappointment are our families. Families hold onto our mistakes as children and young adults and they continue to treat you as if you are still that young, arrogant, child who thought they knew it all, or that early on adult who was sewing their oats and acting reckless while they were finding who they truly were.

You can’t just stop life in a segment; you don’t get to not make the effort to see the change in us and give us respect enough to view the person we are today. It’s not okay!

We have somehow created an era of children that believe that they know their parents better than the parents know themselves and they speak to us as if they are the ones in charge and demand respect. It seems that parents are consistently more and more complacent about discipling their children and they are more worried about being their friend. Maybe some of us are just trying to hard to make their child’s life the best that It can be and giving just a little too much.

We are all human, we all have fought through our own trenches in this life, made our own waves, and even fouled a few left-hand curveballs. We have all failed somehow, but no one deserves to be accused, perceived, judged, or attacked, which all are ultimately similar in nature, based on someone deeming themselves the almighty, all knowing, and self- righteous.

Life does not revolve around anyone human being and it was never meant to. While you set out to consistently criticize someone for their past or presume to know who they are today, perhaps you should remember the rule, “never throw stones when you live in a glass house.”

Perhaps we should all learn to be a little humbler, a little more kind, a bit more respectful and a lot less judgmental.

I know for myself I will never allow another person in my lifetime to let their presumptions of me or their words towards me affect me again. I will never allow anyone to treat me disrespectfully or anyone I love with disrespect. I will never tolerate people's negative actions towards me.

I will stand tall and proud, I will speak firm and loudly, I am not anyone’s pin cushion.

I am a smart, strong, loving, respectful woman of faith, I love hard, a care immensely, and I give of myself abundantly because it is who I am. I want to believe there is better in this world and for me I don’t know how to be anyone other than who I am, if you assumed the worst of me then you don’t know me, if you thought you could over power me then you don’t know me, if you think you know better than me than you better damn well prove it, if you think you are stronger than me, my friend you have no idea.

Not one of us sits on a throne or holds the power of God, but we can all carry ourselves with God’s will and his commandments. If we can do that then we know only God can be our judge.