Warfare Wednesday

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."  Luke 6:37

This morning as I was thinking about what to focus on for Warfare Wednesday, I actually had a difficult time honing in on something.  Usually I spend some time reading up on current events, and something always jumps out at me- some situation that could really use some prayer.  Whether that be events in a particular country, weather events, specific people to pray for, etc.  But this morning I kept coming back to various stories that, on the surface, didn't even seem related.  And then I thought about it some more, and something very clear came to me.

As a whole, as a country, we need to stop judging one another.  We need to stop judging on a personal level, on a political level, and on a global level. The thing is, we "Americans" always think that we're right.  About anything and everything.  I was thinking about the recent high-profile murder trial that ended in a not guilty verdict.  Immediately, people all over started crying out about injustice and the news media outlets were full of judgements for this person- even though a jury found them not guilty.  Who are we to judge?  Seriously. 

I really think many of our problems our country is facing right now is because we all seem to think we have the right to judge anyone and everyone.  And how could we not?  Every day of the week there are dozens of reality TV shows where people are being judged in one form or another.  We even get opportunities to be a judge at home, and then phone in our conclusions. 

The fact is, we are not to judge one another, and in fact, we are to love on one another.  God created each and every person to be unique and to be the people that they are. Now, we may not agree with someone's actions or ideals, and that's okay, but it's not our place to pass judgment on them and condemn them for what they do or believe in.   If anything, our place is simply to commit the matter to prayer.  We should be praying for one another, not passing judgements and insisting that we are always right.  As our politicians are bickering and fighting and going back and forth on some major budget issues facing our country, every key player is just so insistent that their ideas are the right ones- that their way is the best way, and they've judged all other options and worthless and void.  That is not the way to govern a country- the way to govern is to discuss, to see all sides of the picture and assemble various parts and pieces to come up with the best idea for all.

Most days, I am very thankful to be living in the country I'm living.  I am proud to be an American, and knowing the history of our country, I am so incredibly thankful for the freedoms we have today.  But I do wish that we had less of a critical eye as a whole.  I wish that our friends, neighbors, families, and colleagues could collectively just decide to stop being so judgemental, and to embrace the uniqueness that truly makes up what is best about this country.  I even think about small neighborhood disputes and issues.  There's a woman in Michigan who actually faces jail time because she put a vegetable garden in her front yard, and there are people who think that it isn't pleasing to look at. 

I guess my prayer this morning is that a great big wave of love, compassion, and understanding would sweep across our country.  May our eyes be opened to all the condemnation going on around us, and may we grab those opportunities to minister grace to one another.  May we look upon those things that bother us with fresh, new eyes, and see the potential that God has created and put into the people around us.   I am also praying for a revolution to sweep through the media in our country.  Honestly, I don't know what the answers are for the terrible direction the news media has been heading, but God knows.  I pray that He will put the right men and women in charge of these organizations, and may they be utilized to spread the truth- and to spread God's love all across the country.

May we forgive one another for the behavior of the past, and may we all move forward together, in one accord.