weekly post-February 11, 2006

The "judge and jury" edition

Hello friends and loved ones,

I know this email is quite late and I must confess I wracked my brain to come up with something to write about; something meaningful and profound. A couple of things happened this past week and I reflected on those two things and realized that the topic was with me all along. I don't know about you but I find myself watching certain movies and thinking to myself, 'How can she do that?' or 'He deserves what he gets for what he's done.' Usually these movies involve characters who make moral decisions that don't agree with my morals. I find in real life, however, that there is a paradox between my thinking while watching those movies and my thinking in real life. Let's face it people that I know are going to do things that don't match up with my own moral code and I am going to have to decide how to continue that friendship/relationship. I don't believe I have any right to judge someone if they do something that I would not do because I think it's wrong. I can offer my opinion if asked and I can most definitely offer support. To me being a Christian doesn't mean that I can judge and cut someone out of my life if I don't agree with their actions. It's one thing to keep the children away from a convicted sex felon; it's another thing to crucify that person in the streets. I have friends who have done things that I have had to come to terms with and I did, in my own time and in my own way and not once did I bad mouth them or decide that I was better than they were because I wouldn't do what they did. Let's face it, life is much too difficult without the gossip, innuendos, and judgments. Besides, I know there are things that others can probably judge me on (and probably do). Everyone has good in them and just because someone does something that I may find morally wrong doesn't mean that person suddenly becomes bad. As a Christian, I need to understand and offer empathy. Not everyone grew up the same way I did, not everyone lives by the same moral code, not everyone is the same. Once the movie ends I need to make sure I'm practicing what I preach.