Couldn't have said it any better myself.
Well when it rains, it pours! I went from an idea desert to monsoon season! There's a lot going on in the world today, so there's a lot to write about.
I'm really not good at doing this whole introduction thing. Usually I try to find an interesting or clever way of introducing topics. Every once in a while I don't really know how to do it. And this is one of those times. Tonight's going to go a little differently than usual though, so hang on tight.
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Judging
I know the song usually comes at the end, and is only a set of lyrics (as you may or may not know, I have a separate page for the songs!), but tonight's post wouldn't work any other way. The song must come first.
*Disclaimer*
I do not own the song or this video! Only sharing to get a point across! All rights reserved to their respective parties, no copyright infringement intended.
Did you watch it?
Good.
"He is not one of us"
It's pretty obvious how this relates to the topic, right? The people (or I suppose animals) are passing down judgement upon the person (*cough* animal *cough*) in this video. They feel that they have been hurt. They see the mistakes of another, and are quick to cast him out of their midst.
It's an easy thing to do. I'm guilty of it myself. I used to avoid the "troublemakers" as much as I could. I didn't include them in my activities. Even at Church. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I really judged people. LOOONG before I even knew them. I was afraid of getting in trouble. I was afraid of getting hurt. I was afraid of becoming something I wasn't. Not to say that we should always hang out with "bad" people. If it's a danger to yourself, or you know it's not good for you, as a rule don't do it. I'm just saying that avoiding all people that you don't see as perfect is not the right way to go about life.
We all do it from time to time though. The most common example is cliques. We only hang out with those people who have something in common with us. Football players, drama kids, skate kids, techies, smart kids, film kids, etc. all have their own groups. A lot of time it's hard to break into those boundaries. Even then often those who try are shot down, or worse, made fun of. They don't fit with us. They're not "one of us". Yes, even the kids at Church do it. And that is THE WORST of all. Church is where we go to be accepted. It's a safe place. A place where all are welcome, faults and all. Broken piano, remember? When people get rejected at Church, they might never come back. They might spiral. They might do any number of things. All because they didn't fit our definition of "one of us".
"Evil as plain as the scar on his face"
Many times the people we leave out are the people we see as risky. As "evil". We don't want to get involved. We don't want to take the time to get to know them. We just want to see their faults. We just want to see their surface. We see the druggie. The girl who sleeps around. The gangster. The clown. The bully. The weird kid. The troublemaker. And why would we want to see anything else? It's easy to write them off. It's easy to ignore them.
When we look at them on the surface see what we think are scars. Their sins. Their faults. Their failures. But more often than not we miss their real scars. Maybe they aren't scars on their faces. Maybe their scars are on their hearts. Soo many times people don't cause trouble just to do it. They do it to hide their troubles, to lose their troubles. To cover their scars.
Maybe that girl who's a cutter has to take care of all of her siblings. Maybe that druggie has an abusive father. Maybe that alcoholic's family member died, and he doesn't know how to cope. Maybe the clown just wants someone to notice him for once. Maybe the troublemaker just wants someone to see how hurt he is, and this is the only way he can think of to get attention. We don't know people until we know their hearts. How can we judge them with that? If we only knew that... Wouldn't you want to help them?
What if you were that cutter? That druggie? That party girl?
Wouldn't you want help?
"Disgrace" "Do not forget what we cannot forgive"
There's a story in the Bible about a woman caught in adultery. The penalty at that time was death. I suppose that's sort of how it is today. Think about it. Someone messes up. Falls down, even once. They are ostracized, and their reputation "dies". They experience social death. After all, who wants to be seen with that?
People gathered around the woman, ready to kill her, holding their stones. What stones do we cast? Stares? Gossip? Just avoiding someone? Not defending them? Letting things happen that we know shouldn't?
Jesus stopped them. He told them that whoever was sinless should throw the first stone. Can any one of us say that we have never messed up? Can any one of us say that we are really better than anyone else? Can we really say that if everyone knew everything about us, they'd all feel the same way? Are any of us innocent?
One by one, people walked away. Jesus told her that no one condemns her, and neither did He. He forgave her of her sins, told her to sin no more, and sent her on her way. He didn't judge her. She WAS in disgrace. But he forgave her. Sometimes we don't want to forgive what people have done. Sometimes that's because it's easier. It's easier to cast the blame on others so that we don't have to focus on our own failures. We don't want to look at what's wrong with us, so we take it out on others. If it was good enough for God to forgive the woman, why isn't it good enough for us to forgive those who hurt?
"He is not part of us, not our kind"
If Catholic really means universal, then how can we act like that? How can we act contrary to what Jesus showed us by His example. EVERYONE is our kind. We are all sinners. We are all broken. (Again, PIANO!) Not a single one of us is better than anyone else.
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So what do we do?
First:
Look inward. Why are we so judgmental? What are we avoiding in ourselves? When we can face our own fears, faults, and failures, then we can start to look outward. Plank in our own eyes ringing any bells?
Second:
Look outward. Look past the surface of the actions of others. Stand in their shoes. That crud you see on the outside could just be a cover up to the gaping hole they have inside.
This doesn't mean you have to get involved in everyone's lives. Far from it. If it's unhealthy to hang with certain people, (which often it is) then DON'T. Rule of thumb: play it safe. There is so much you can do for people without getting personally involved though. Stop gossiping about them, and stop others as well. Just cutting out the talk can go a long way. Stop the stares, and the offhand comments. Stop the bullying when you see it. Small actions can go a long way. Then you can help others without them even knowing it. You can be there for them without having to face things that you aren't ready for.
Most of all, PRAY. It is the single biggest thing we can do, especially when we can't get involved personally. Pray a lot and pray often.
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Matthew 7 : 1-5 says:
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."
Follow these words. Judging others hurts. Being judged hurts. Our little actions can make a big difference. If we follow Christ's example, then we can end the cycle of judging. Then we won't be judged either.
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I'll end with another song from the Lion King II
"He lives in you
He lives in me
He watches over
Everything we see
Into the water
Into the truth
In your reflection
He lives in you"
God looks to all of us to do His work, and His life is in all of us. With that in mind, how could we ever put another down?
Praying for you always!
Until next time,
~Wanted~
