Positively Good Productions
Sowinig blessings and life lessons to encourage, refresh, and benefit our lives.
“When we judge or criticize another person, it says
nothing about that person; it merely says something about
our own need to be critical.” – Unknown
None of us are fond of receiving harsh criticism,
opinions or rushed conclusions about ourselves,
without those estimations being carefully
considered.
It's human nature to delight in being right, but
the thing is...we all need correcting, occasionally.
Although we are ordinarily attracted to like-minded
people, those who are sincerely honest with us
and may disagree with us can truly help us grow.
Those who sincerely care about us and have our best
interests at heart will have the courage to point out
our misdeeds, unpleasant behavior, weaknesses and
flaws.
When we're on the receiving end of criticism,
our goal should be to learn from the feedback,
and not let our emotions close our minds. When
we are striving for excellence, the small stuff
matters. The key is to be proactive, not reactive.
There are times when we should not listen to
criticism, for example, when it's based on
falsehood or given in a way that's meant to
destroy our sense of self-worth. We encourage
delivering criticism in a way that is constructive
and helpful.
Pride and arrogance zealously brings attention to
another person’s shortcomings, while remaining
forgetful to its own.
There are generally two kinds of people in
the world... destroyers and builders.
Destroyers criticize, vilify, slander, belittle, and discredit
the works and lives of others while offering nothing better.
Builders add to... build upon... and improve the quality of
life for others.
Some people, who are observing from the sidelines of life
rather than actively participating in life... neither
know victory or defeat. Some people passively observe,
but never take an active part in life; yet, they can be
extremely intolerant, relentlessly critical and judgmental
of the failures and/or shortcomings of other people who
are striving for higher ideals. Some sideliners are quick to
point out how another who has dared greatly stumbles,
comes up short, and how the person who is actively
walking in their calling... could have done better. They
are always ready to make an itemized, detailed list of
other people’s failures and flaws.
We must always guard against the temptation of thinking
we must measure up and be perfect or should be perfect.
Not in this life.
Nothing in Scripture teaches us to expect this from
ourselves or others.
Some will criticize and judge as a means of projecting
things on others that they don't like about themselves.
Let us keep a learning mindset when it comes to criticism
and judgment. Every situation can become a chance to
learn and grow.
We can't control others, but we can benefit by putting
forth greater effort to improve ourselves and letting harsh
criticism roll off our backs like water on a ducks back.
Nobody goes through life without making mistakes or
doing something they are ashamed of. We all look great in
some areas and come up very short in others. None of us
are perfect... each of us have our share of flaws.
The harsh, hyper-critical, demeaning, and sometimes
relentless judgmental observers in life, who gain nothing
by criticizing the imperfections of others, can indeed
challenge us and make us better, provided we keep our
emotions in check, decide what applies, learn from it,
and let the rest go.
Passing judgment on someone
based solely on appearances is sinful.
Let us make sure we know every
situation fully before making a
judgment.
Easily seen are the faults of others, but in far too many
instances it is difficult to see our own. Scripture cautions
us not to be harsh and judgmental of the faults of others,
even where they are evident, because neither are we
perfect and free from error.
Every person is a combination of wonderful virtues and
plenty of flaws.
Jesus is calling us to not condemn people, to not pass final
judgment and declare one unredeemable and guilty.
It is incredibly important that we understand the context in
which Jesus was speaking.
The Bible’s command that we not judge others does not
mean we cannot show discernment.
Jesus is giving us permission to tell right from wrong.
When Jesus said not to judge others, He did not mean that
no one can identify sin for what it is, based on God’s
definition of sin.
The Bible’s command that we not judge others does not
mean Jesus was saying, “Anything goes.”
Jesus gives a direct command to “Stop judging by mere
appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
Superficial, unrighteous judgment
is wrong!
Men may escape human justice, but they will never escape
God's divine justice.
We cannot flee from God's
all seeing eye
nor experience anything...
that God is not aware of.
There is nothing outside the realm of God's knowledge.
God is everywhere, and God is all-knowing.
The most minutest details
about each of us
are known completely...
and are on full display
before God.
All of our thoughts, words, secret sins,
and deeds are an open book before
God. There is nothing about us that
God does not know.
God's knowledge of us is so vast that there is nothing
we can do or imagine that God does not already know
about.
God knows all and sees all of our past, present, and future.
There is no place within the entire universe we could find
ourselves where God's presence could not be.
God is Our Just and Righteous Judge.
God does not have favorites.
It makes no difference who we are or where we came
from... God looks deeper than the surface, and God's
Judgment is always perfectly righteous!
Every case is laid naked and open before God. God needs no witnesses and no jury because God has personally witnessed every crime and secret sin that has ever been committed.
God knows all the facts. God never misrepresents a person's case!
We can be sure that God's judgment is
always according to the absolute truth.
At the foot of the cross... the ground is level.
God will impartially judge everyone for sinning against
the light that they were given.
God's judgment applies to each of us, regardless of our age, circumstances, or station in life. There are no exceptions to the rule.
carolecgood@carolecgood.com
www.carolecgood.com
