The Only Judge That Matters

A friend of mine told me about a situation in which she was unrightfully judged. Motive was assigned to her actions and intent placed by others in her heart. The truth is she did not possess wrongful motive nor hurtful intentions.

This got me thinking, how does a person convince others when heart's intent cannot carry a visible burden of proof? Our world is jaded. Each of us has been lied to and hurt by others and so we live guarded. Each of us has made mistakes in the past, and so we live under the scrutiny of those around us. When something doesn't look right our first inclination is to assume it is wrong. We exist in protective mode because people are prone to judge and leave. We naturally push away that which we don't understand because we fear it. It goes without saying our world is dangerous and to some degree we must take precautions, but there is a vast difference between taking precautions and making unjust accusations. There is a difference between running blindly from the unknown and standing still long enough to observe the source of the unknown. You may discover the source itself is pure even though the actions appear otherwise.

My past is packed with mistake after mistake after mistake. It hurts when my present existence is judged based on my past behavior. Despite what others may think of me, my heart has never been one of malice. People don't easily forget our mistakes do they? Thankfully God has the ability to look past actions and directly into our heart. Despite our wrongdoings, He sees the deepest thought behind every move. He knows. I cling to this because there are moments when it feels He is the only one who believes in me...as I cannot even see beyond my own failures. The people who judge us the most are often times the same people who love us best. That's why it hurts so deeply. I surrender to God's forgiveness and His view that sees beyond the weakness of humanity, and there I find peace and strength. God is not only the only One to rightfully cast judgment, but He is the only judge that truly matters. ~