I’ve been the worst Christian

• By candidasullivan
• May 8, 2024
• No Comments

I have been the worst kind of Christian—the one who is judgemental of others but self-righteous in myself. 

Oh, sweet friends, it is so much easier for me to see your sin than my own. I look for your sin and try to stuff and hide my own. 

I really wish this was the part where I could tell you that this only happened to me once, but the truth is that it has happened more times than I would like to admit. I am wrong whenever I try to fix someone else or magnify their sin, especially when I try to do it with the scriptures. 

My dad often preached that we can’t tear out the pages in the Bible that offend us or that we don’t like. We have to believe and accept it all. But I have skipped over those parts that exposed my sin and tried to uncover and focus on other’s sins. 

We like to pick and choose which sins we feel are worse than others and then focus on that. I mean, if you drink excessively, wouldn’t that be worse than my overeating, gossiping, or judging? 

Or is it? 

Anytime I’ve tried to point a finger at someone else, I can find even more things in myself if I take a long, hard look at myself. And here’s the big thing: I can’t do anything about anyone’s behavior, thoughts, or actions. So, to focus on what someone else is doing without examining myself and repenting of my wrongdoings is not pleasing to God. 

But that’s where the enemy wants us to stay. If we judge and focus on someone else, we won’t take care of ourselves. And after a while, our sins stand between us and God. 

We can’t show love while we cast stones. 

I’ve sat with the Lord and asked Him what I’m supposed to do about others’ wrongdoings. His answer has always been the same: JUST LOVE THEM. 

God didn’t tell me to share a scripture about their sin or ask me to share a Facebook post that steps on their toes and tells them how wrong they are. God has never told me to stand in judgment and be self-righteous in His name and on His behalf. 

God is LOVE! 

And I want to be a beautiful source of His love. 

So, I try to do these things when I feel the need to judge:

1. Imagine God sitting with me, proofreading my post. 
2. Imagine sitting with God and watching how I treated others. 
3. Seeing and feeling the hurt I caused others with my thoughts and actions. 
4. Remember that no one is good. The Bible tells us our righteousness is as filthy rags. 
5. Giving others what I most want to receive: LOVE

I honestly can’t imagine anything worse than standing in someone else’s way to the Lord. I want to be the kind of person who shines a light into the darkness and helps people find their way to God. The only way to do this is through love and kindness. 

I want other people to feel love from me instead of judgment. If I can offer love in every situation to everyone, then I will be able to reach others. 

I also want to remember their sin, and that correction is between them and God. It’s truly none of my business. If I see them doing wrong, the best thing I can do is love them and pray for them. And remember that the blood of Jesus covers us all.