Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37
No matter how you dice it, failure sucks. Sucks us in, sucks us down, and sucks others in around us.
For Christians, I think failure can suck more for us than for others. We know non-believers are watching us. Some of them are watching and prowling around like a lion, waiting to pounce and devour us. The bummer is, we know at some point, we are going to feed them what they want because we’re humans and humans fail.
When we Christians take our lives to a public arena, we open ourselves up even more to it. Not only are we watched by those seeking to devour us, we’re being watched by fellow believers. That’s a heavy burden. Again, we know we’re going to slip up because we’re humans and humans fail.
The scariest part of being out in the public eye, is that if you slip up, it’s going to be recorded forever by someone. There is always someone out there looking for a slip up by a Christian so they can prove that we’re liars, hateful, sinful, and/or failures. The thing is, we are! That’s no secret. We’re not God. We are just seeking after Him. Trailing after Him.
God is infallible. Christians are failures who have been redeemed by a perfect, loving, and holy God. We make mistakes. We slip up. We miss the mark.
So the next time you see a sister in Christ say the wrong thing, or explain something in the wrong way, or fail in life; don’t judge her. Love her just as Christ loved you. We’re all going to fall down. Let’s hope there are those who love us enough to come along side and pick us back up and keep loving us!
What a great post and such a positive directive at the end…love! It all comes down to love. Thank you for this today!
Shanyn recently posted..Snakes and Crosses
Wow, I just read some of the drama going on with the top 25 faith blogs and then I read your blog today. Looks like Satan is really busy out there. God is already being glorified in all of it because the pagans are now seeking out the Christian blogs and reading about Christ in order to find out if one of you has slipped up. Glad to see you keeping your head up and above it all, glorifying God! I vote for you and the other Christians daily. To God be the glory!
Very insightful posts I’m going to come back and read more! I’m blog hopping and found yours. I’m now following! Would love for you to check out my blog and follow back!
Bonni from http://www.mombyexample.com
My dad had a professor in seminary who said everyday, “You have to win the battle of love, gang. Nothing else matters; just win the battle of love.” Dad said after three years, they were sick of hearing it, but after pastoring for more than thirty years, it comes down to one thing: win the battle of love.
The last few months have been heart-wrenching as my friends and fellow pastors/wives have made judgments about things that they know nothing about. But through it, God has been reiterating the lesson of winning the battle of love. And I realize that I’m much more kind, gracious and merciful than I was 6 months ago.
Awesome post!
P.S. How did I miss the drama???? Sorry for any issues it has caused you all, sisters! Keep looking up!
Judi Cotignola recently posted..Happily Ever After
Hello! I found you from 29 Lincoln Ave. Looks like God is using this little spot to be the little engine that could! Praise God for all the ways he uses to reach every single broken heart. I love what Judi C said – win the battle of love. So true! I find when my eyes are on the Father I am less concerned about the voices that suck us down. My favorite saying is from Bo’s Cafe. Grace, because of Christ, says I can believe the best about me (you) even on my (your) worst day. We do need each other, and some days are so difficult! Blessings to you!
Robyn Q recently posted..Sugar Snap Longings
Welcome Robyn! Glad to have you here!