I was on my way home from our church fellowship. I had just taught on “signs and wonders that follow” the believer. I shared many of the miracles of Jesus, as well as the healings that are spoken of. (37 collectively, though the scriptures in John 21:25, say “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” 

And then, I heard the words “judgement free”. Now, lots of people use those words, including Planet Fitness, but, what does it mean to the church at large? 

I have thought about this a lot over the last 24 hours or so. I want to be “without judgement” when it comes to others. To be accepting, gracious and caring. Loving the unloveables, as it may be. I thought about my own fellowship I oversee. What would, or does the outsider think? I ended up at this place called “perception”.  Perhaps 90% of our life is predicated upon perception. Not reality, but perception. Mind blindness, Paul would say.

It is one thing to be willing to accept prayer for a broken arm, but how about an STD? (I know silent or unspoken prayer requests. Not making fun of them, but where is our love?) Would we even dare ask? (Or would we rely on the prophetic voice to “call it out”?) What about issues with OCD, or anxiety and depression? Lots of people are coming out about “their mental illness” but do they feel like they can ask for prayer? Why would they not want prayer or feel they could ask?  

Perhaps it comes down to people. Not the person with the illness, but the people in the room.  Is not having time for others the antithesis of all we preach, all we ascribe to? Perhaps the “curse” of busyness or perfectionism is an illness in itself. 

What about the man or woman who cannot speak without a showering of cursing? Or the one who is always “down” with their conversations, negative and depressing? Do they feel judgement when others avoid them or “look down” upon them? 

Over the last few years I have made some decisions to be a friend to some going through terrible times. Not a mentor. Not a coach. Not a church leader. A friend. My purpose was to be nothing more than a friend. I think I have done okay. But it is not the friends that I have purposed to be friends to that I stumble with.  It is the ones that “sneak” up on me. The ones that get by my radar before I know it.  

Do I look down? Do I think I have the answers? Do I even know all that is going on? 

Why is that dad out drinking away? Or the mom unable to console her child? Or the young girl in need of a shower? 

I think we all want to think we have the answers, but really… the only answer is love. 

I am tired of the things that take away from relationships. Social media has made us closer and further away. What a dichotomy. STOP! 

We are divided over sex, life, gender and all parties are crying out, but to paraphrase Wendy’s, “where’s the love?” Certainly, not in political debates or declarations of “I’m right”. 

To be a “no judgement” zone we will first need to remove the judgement of our lives that we often go over and over, trying to be better. We can sing about no shame or guilt, or free from chains, but have we believed it. But is that not where we focus on the Lord and His love for us and allow His grace to permeate our lives? 

Only when we begin to have hope that we will be restored and made whole, do I think we will open our arms and our hearts to the person walking in brokenness. And to be judgement free, we will have to remove the filters of “that’s the way they are”, or “you know where they are coming from”. 

Let’s begin to reach out to the broken. Not keep them isolated. Too many are falling away from the goodness that a community can bring, because love has not prevailed. Let’s change that. We will always have crying children, folks who are broken and those with attitudes, BUT if we do not look through eyes of love, we will always be in judgement of others. And if the church cannot be judgement free, where will it begin? 

Let’s change the world for the better.