After publishing the "Come Now" post, I immediately started thinking of hypothetical people sitting in their hypothetical living rooms, judging me. "Ohhhh, that's just what she's telling herself. She's going to burn out eventually, and find her whole life was a big sham." I got a bit annoyed with the hypothetical people and their nerve in assuming they know anything about me and how I live my life. And then I was reminded of a conversation I had with TJ not too long ago.
We were driving up to Fairwood (prime conversation time, as long as one of us isn't planning on the time to get work done), and chatting about this and that. We got talking about differences of standards and such, and I said, "I just hate that other people might think that I'm judging them, because I'm not!" And he replied, "Isn't it kind of judging them to think that they're thinking of you as judging them?" I was quite taken aback, and have thought of it often since then.
My job isn't to think about how other people are perceiving me, or "judging" me. My job is just to live my life as God has led me, and not worry about what other people think that I'm thinking. How ridiculous is it to worry about what other people think that I'm thinking about them?! It takes "fear of man" to a whole new level. Good grief.
So the lesson to me was (and continues to be) digging a little deeper into what it means to walk "before the face of God." I need to be living for Him, and following His commandment to love God and love my neighbor. Anything beyond that is simply none of my business.
I just need to keep my eyes fixed on Him! Let those hypothetical living room dwellers think what they may...
2 comments:
That's the trouble with walking before men and not God: it's a downward spiral indeed!
What if God had said to Abraham "Walk before your neighbor and be thou perfect in his eyes"??? AUGH!!! Talk about a "runs screaming from the room" moment!
Maybe this is an inaccurate perspective, but it truly seems easier to please God (who tells us what He expects of us, and provides a Way to attain it), than to please human beings.
Ohhhhhhhhhh, Andrea, you SCARED me! I really thought at first that you were writing a follow-up post to your last post and were going to lambaste all your hypothetical judgers. You can't imagine my relief when I made it to the second paragraph!
Excellent post. I've often caught myself judging others when I imagine they might be judging, and I've caught myself changing my behavior to avoid "judgment" as well. Like you said, it's not being a "people-pleaser" or not that is the issue--the issue is whether or not we are walking before God or man.
Thanks for the refreshment.
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