Kindness Triumphs Over Judgement
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
We have all encountered situations this past week where the behaviour or opinions of others have bothered us and led us to judge them. I wonder, did we really pause just for a moment to think about the person, and not just their behaviour or their opinion? Did we intentionally take time to wonder why they behave the way they do? Why they say the things they say? Could it be that their behaviour is a symptom of what is happening in their lives at the moment, or has happened in their lives in the past, that has negatively impacted them?
Perhaps we’ve judged a classmate whose behaviour we feel is over the top, a colleague who’s getting on our last nerve; perhaps we’ve judged others by participating in their character assassination by gossiping about them; perhaps we’ve made fun of others because they don’t fit our mould of what should be “normal.”
We, human beings, tend to judge others based on the lens through which we look at them - our worldview, our preferences, popular culture, our moral standards, work ethic and in many other ways. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to look at people through Jesus’ lens of love. When Jesus looks at people, He looks at them through His lens of Agape (divine) love. He sees them in their brokenness and their lostness and has compassion on them. This same Agape love is what our heavenly Father had for us when He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us - while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).
Jesus says in John 13:34-35 (NIV),
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Jesus calls us, His followers, to love others, especially fellow believers, by showing them compassion, grace and kindness, even when we don’t agree with their behaviour or their opinion. When their behaviour or opinions offend us, the love of Christ should move us to pause and think about the person and not their behaviour. It should be the impetus to engage with them in a kind and compassionate way. This might be an opportunity for them to share their backstory so we can better understand the person we see in front of us. Our acts of compassion and kindness may even change the situation in the workplace, school, sports field, church, and other spaces we find ourselves in.
I would like to invite you to be an agent of change in your sphere of influence by showing kindness and compassion to others, even when you have been the target of bad behaviour or gossip. Then watch and see what God will do.
I shall pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again. Henry Drummond
Reflection
Have there been times when you’ve judged others without pausing to think about the person and what they might be going through? Think about what the Lord would have you do when you are confronted with behaviour and opinions that offend you in the future.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for me so that I can be set free from sin and shame. Thank you for loving me so much that you would do that for me. Lord, help me to demonstrate Your love to others. Show me how to be kind and compassionate to others instead of judging them. Help me pause before I judge them. Help me pause before I participate in gossip and think about the damage this can cause. Help me to be an agent of change so that Your peace will prevail in my sphere of influence. In Jesus’ name, amen.
