Opinions Everywhere
Judgement…it’s an easy thing to do but not so easy to be on the receiving end of. I often wonder why it seems so easy to judge things we see or hear about. There is also no scarcity of opinions around just go to Facebook and you will find an opinion about everyone and everything! I learned long ago that if we don’t have any responsibility for a situation, we should have no opinion about it. For what is the purpose of our opinion if we have no skin in the game so to speak to offer advice or suggestions for change? Therefore, our opinion is simply judgement of how the people responsible are handling it. Eek!
It’s fairly easy to look at a situation from a distance and think we have the answer for how it should be handled. But we forget that from our vantage point we don’t have the perspective that party does, or the history with the situation necessary to make a perfect decision in the matter. We just don’t know everything…shocker.
So many of us do this with our Government. Instead of being pro America we are fighting for a particular party stance. The word of God never tells us to submit to the Democrats or the Republicans but to the authority over us God has ordained…period. “Most of all, I’m writing to encourage you to pray with gratitude to God. Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion. And pray for every political leader and representative, so that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts. It is pleasing to our Savior-God to pray for them.” 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-3 TPT Our opinion just isn’t necessary in the matter.
Of course, we most likely would do things differently if we were in their shoes but the thing is, we are not. We don’t know every detail behind the decisions being made, exactly what encompasses each situation or any of the hundred other small details about each situation we would need to understand to make an educated decision in the matter. To judge a matter is to judge a persons motives to some extent. We cannot be responsible for knowing another person’s heart motives, only God sees the heart and understands the why behind anything.
So why do we have an opinion about every Government decision, about what our friends are doing or how our neighbors spend their money or how long the Country should be shut down? The definition of opinion is,
“a belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or
proof: " Opinions come from pride and judgment. If I’m not mistaken both are considered sinful attitudes in God’s word. #ouch
Jesus said in John 8:15 “You judge by human standards; I judge no one.” If Jesus isn’t in the judgement business, then maybe we shouldn’t be either. Just maybe we should look at these situations we are judging and instead of voicing our opinions we should pray. Our heart posture should be compassion. We will never know how long or hard a person or government leader labored over a decision they had to make or how difficult it was for them to make it.
We all need some growth in this area because we are all frail human beings incapable of perfection. If we don’t make perfect decisions all of the time why do we think others should? Life is so much sweeter when we learn to NOT have an opinion about everything and everyone. Let’s decide to get on our knees for others and cry out to God for them and the decisions they have to make. Let’s choose to put others needs before our desire to voice an opinion. Let’s decide to leave the judgment to God who is the only one who knows the human heart.
Father forgive us for our judgement of others, for the need to have an opinion about what other people do. Forgive us in our ignorance. Give us hearts that hurt for the things that hurt you. Give us a desire to please you more than voicing our own pride. You alone can change our hearts, change us. Mold us into the image of Christ as we pursue Your will and ways more fully today….