"Here Come Da Judge"

This is the title of a chapter in the book, The Shack. In this chapter, Mack encounters Sophia, or wisdom. I don't really care to write about this encounter because that is why Wm. Paul Young wrote the book.

However, I do want to reflect on a few sentences from the chapter.

"Mack felt shame reddening his face. He had to admit he had done an awful lot of judging in his time. But he was no different from anyone else, was he? Who doesn't jump to conclusions about others from the way they impact us. There it was again - his self-centered view of the world around him. He looked up and saw her peering intently at him and quickly looked down again."

Whoa, I started thinking about all the judgments that had passed through my mind - just today. The most recent one involving some rather sarcastic commentary regarding a person's knowledge of said machine. In hindsight, I'm sure the guy was probably just trying to ask a question, but somehow I twisted it into this warped interpretation of the entire situation.

I have always been taught that God is the judge. I kind of picture him up some where with a black cloak and anvil ready to issue his wrath. However, tonight, in our book discussion group, Jim and Phil painted an entirely different picture of judgment.

God judged all of us worthy of his love.

So worthy, in fact, that Jesus bore all the judgment on the cross.

Wow, we have such a propensity to judge and than project this judgmental nature on God. Yet, that is not how God judges at all. He judged us all - every one of us - worthy of his love. This is such a different view of God that I'm still having a hard time with it. However, looking at situations through this lens will hopefully lead to interactions with entirely different outcomes.