So Easy to Judge

    Praise God ! My computer is doing well. I have missed blogging. Not sure where to start. So much has been going on that I want to run back and write about. I have been learning alot lately. It seems as if my perspective has changed once again. My life is a class room. God is using my entire reality to speak. It is so amusing. I could spend all day by myself and never feel alone. God is so ever present. He is speaking. This I know. He is speaking to His People. If you pay attention folks are hearing and speaking about HIM> Praise God.
     What I will write about is my God diagnosis of judging. I am guilty. I have always had compassion for the unloved, unwanted, ugly, mean, lost people of this world. I was using this gift as my own little trophy for being a good Christian. Wow. I was only trying to wear my gift in the flesh and that right there was the complete opposite of operating in the gift. Although I do realize that the steps through that tunnel were divine as well. If we can't identify the problem we can't fix it. God has clearly identified the problem and now together we can change it. I judge people. I judged that if you were doing worse than me I would help you. If no one else would , I would. I judged the people that placed themselves above me. Maybe I was the one who placed them above me, according to money, social circles, status. Either way it was upon my judgment.
      In recent events I  found myself judging a couple that I know from church and my husband knows from work. I was finding myself feeling irritated by them even though they are not apart of my life. How could they expect so much for so little. They have earned none of this. They should just be grateful . Walking around irritated by the blessings they are receiving and the joy in which they celebrate ? Really , Julie? (Yes I speak. or type to myself) That is what the Spirit convicted me of. He said to me Julie, You missed it. I missed the mark. I missed the Glory of the Story. I missed my own dose of  Joy in seeing an absolute undeniable act of God. It is true they are getting more than they deserve, but so am I. According to the Glory of Grace we all are. Shame on me for sacrificing the joy of the Lord so I could judge some one's joy. I compared their joy to their effort  and I found them guilty ,of coming up short in the effort department. Lord forgive me. Open my eyes so that I may see. I accept the things that will come out of me will be unclean and ugly just like this was... But praise God that you have not left me this way~  So I back off the judging and suddenly I am not irritated anymore. Thank you Lord.
       The amount of Spiritual growth that has taken place in my life recently has increased my value in the simple things. I am finding peace in a long day . I am not panicking about things as much. I am increasing in self control. I am lifting my heart higher than my hands as an act of worship and the first things i lifted up the Lord were my hands. I now lift both hands and heart. I am excited for the next chapter in this journey of ours as we prepare to leave for PA. I am closer than I was but yet still a long way to go. I am a work in progress.