More Curious, Less Judgmental

 

I recently read a Facebook post from the author Al Carraway in which she stated that over the last 10 years she has received messages from people of her faith that are judgmental and derogatory. Messages that have brought her to tears more than once. Messages about the way she looks and how she is not a good example to others of her faith because of her looks. 

Al is not the typical member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; she once was known as the tattooed Mormon because she has lots of tattoos. Her tattoos never bothered me because her sweet spirit and her joy for the gospel was so infectious. She found her relationship with her Heavenly Father and her Saviour Jesus Christ, and she was all in! She has shared her story of how her relationship with her Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ came about, and she has invited others to feel the Spirit and build their own relationships with them. That's what I think about when I think of Al, not how she looks. 

I don't see her tattoos as a problem, but as a way for her to teach the gospel to others that don't quite fit in to the cookie cutter members of the church. Because she looks different, she is able to touch the hearts of others that feel different too. Because her journey is different the Lord is able to work through her in ways that brings the gospel to a group of people that might not feel comfortable talking with the clean-cut missionaries sent to preach the gospel. That's a gift to her and the people she reaches.

It is baffling to me that members of a Christian church are sending her these messages. Sadly, this is a problem in all Christendom. There is a Christian musical group called Skillet and their lead singer John Cooper has had similar messages sent to him from other Christians. They have gone so far as to tell him he should take his own life because he's not the example they think he should be. I for one am glad that he shares his love for Christ through his music and shares his testimony at their concerts. I have experienced the power of his testimony in person, and it was amazing. He is doing God's work for sure. 

When I read about stories like Al's and John's, it makes me angry and sad for several reasons:

God loves everyone!! We should too! "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

God works through all types of people! As Elder Holland once said, "Except in the case of his only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but he deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work."

We are taught in church not to judge! Elder Uchtdorf stated, "We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgmental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children."

We don't get to pick and choose who God wants in His church. He wants everyone, regardless of what they look like or their past, to come to Him! Our job is to love people where they're at and help them on their journey to find Christ. "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

When we judge others and deem them unfit to be a part of the Christian community, we are limiting the power of God to save. This is a negative reflection on us more than it is on the one we are judging. "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Matthew 7:1-2

Nothing good comes from these types of judgments. It only creates division and contention in a world that has enough of that without any of us adding to it.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don't know each other and they don't know each other because they don't communicate with each other, and they don't communicate with each other because they are separated from each other." If our goal is to gather all God's children, we need to stop judging and start communicating with each other. Let's replace hate with love.

This brings me to the quote at the beginning of this blog: Be curious, not judgmental. What would happen if instead of judging someone, we chose to be curious about them and get to know them? What if we look for what God sees in them instead of what we think we see in them? What if we focus on the positive in people and less on the negative? 

Every person has the light of Christ in them, look for the light instead of bringing the darkness of hate that comes from wrongly judging others. Be curious and less judgmental and see how God works through you and through those you take the time to know. What a great goal this is in a world so full of hate and divisiveness. Love one another as Jesus did and see what happens.