Suspending Judgement

It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.  (1 Corinthians 4:4-5)

If you’re like me, you want to reach conclusions about people and events.  That person, politician, colleague, or community member is great.  Or awful.  Or foolish.  Or smart.  This major event that happened in your life is a blessing.  Or a tragedy.  When someone or something happens, we feel an impulse to put it in one of these categories.  When we can make a judgment about something, we give it handles.  It helps us move forward.

However, I’m not sure how qualified I am to make these assessments in the short term.  My evaluation of people has not always been spot on.  Some people who initially gave me pause ended up being wonderful once I understood them better.  Others who I thought were fantastic at the start ended up creating problems down the road.  Events that seemed providential at the time generated greater challenges as time passed.  Major disappointments have resulted in rich blessings after a year or two.  So who knows besides God?  Keep your heart open.  Hold your conclusions loosely.  God sees so much farther down the road than we do.