There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4
Just a few months after separating from my husband, I was hired by a prominent government official to be his receptionist and personal assistant. In that role, I was responsible for greeting those who came to meet with him, people from all walks of life. Still reeling from the effects of the abuse and dealing with my husband’s ongoing harassment, in my mind’s eye every man who walked in the door was automatically presumed to be an enemy – a self-serving, conniving jerk. As far as greeting those who came to meet with my boss, I knew how to be cordial while remaining thoroughly entrenched in my cynical mindset toward the opposite sex.
Jesus said, “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, “Raca” shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell…” Matthew 5:21-22
Many of us have been taught that, as believers, we are not to judge lest we be judged. The inference is that judging others is always wrong. If we don’t want to find ourselves judged, we should not judge anyone else. Ever.