A Judgmental Attitude…Who Me?

   Al and I are not ardent movie goers, although there are many movies we think we’d like to see when they first make their appearance at the theater. But time often seems to slip by; and then, they are gone. Recently there were two that were highly recommended to us by several people. One of them was “Hidden Figures” and the other was “The Shack.”  

   When “Hidden Figures” was going to be shown at our local senior center, we signed up along with about sixty other people. The movie was very inspiring, based on a true story about three female mathematicians who worked with NASA in the 60’s, one of whom had a major role in helping put astronaut John Glenn into space.

    We both agreed afterwards about the difficult position the trio of women were in, often judged incompetent or unqualified on the basis of their gender and skin color, but able to calculate the trajectories of rockets, figure out how to work one of the first IBM computers, earn multiple college degrees and still handle the complexities of their everyday lives as wives and mothers.

   The three women portrayed in “Hidden Figures” managed to fight against the prejudices and obstacles in their way and achieved amazing things. However, they were only recently recognized for their accomplishments after many decades had passed. It is sad that we still tend to judge people on the basis of outward appearances, limiting their achievements and damaging their self concepts.

   Several weeks later, we rented “The Shack,” and watched it at home. Although not a true story, it dealt with the spiritual journey of a father who was grappling with tragedy in his life, the loss of a child which many of us can relate to or at least empathize with. I had read the book and knew what to expect, but cried from the first scene to the end of the movie anyway.

   Again, the theme of judgment stood out to me. In this movie though, the central character, Mack, had to be confronted with his tendency to judge, not only himself and others, but also God. He blamed God for the evil in the world, turning away from Him during the worst time in his life.

   Through much inner turmoil, Mack came to the realization that he had sinned deeply against God and others. He realized that he wasn’t qualified to judge and surrendered that position to God alone. Mack’s challenge was to accept God’s love and forgiveness personally and then love others in the same way, which meant he also had to learn to forgive.

   A judgmental attitude has been a major obstacle in my relationship with the Lord and still comes up often. I am learning to recognize the pattern of thinking which is unforgiving, mean, often untrue and unloving. Perhaps it stems from a deep rooted issue of pride, demeaning others to somehow feel better about myself. The Holy Spirit isn’t easy with me on this aspect of my nature, not letting me forget or ignore times when I judge others but leading me to confession and the desire to change. It has been a long, slow process, one which continues today.

   Judging others prevents us from having close personal relationships with the folks in our lives as well as with the God who made them. Our job is not to judge, but to love.

    Forgive us, dear Father, for being quick to judge and slow to love, for hurting others and causing harm to our relationships by judging. Help us to accept others as you have accepted us, to love them deeply, from the heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1 NIV