Sitting in judgement

I sure hope that at the end of this year, when I read a recap of 2015, I will find that it is less disturbing than that which I read a week ago about 2014. What with racial intolerances ever increasing,police killing unarmed citizens, angry citizens killing the police, child murders by their own parents on the rise, college campus rapes and violence ever increasing, school shootings having increased to a higher percentage than history ever remembers, and suicide rates climbing to the max, (to include famous people who " have everything"), our world is going to pot (and legalizing it)!

When we read these stories, we develop opinions immediately. We view ourselves as judge and jury. These are emotionally charged issues. Everyone jumps on a bandwagon of some sort. Some groups politicize the bad happenings, some groups blame the people who have been injured, saying it is all their fault. Some people even blame those who can't take it anymore by killing themselves, as being perpetrators of self-hurt and violence in our society.  

One thing is for sure...we human beings pass judgement on every situation.  It's "only human;"  even though Jesus was very clear that he would be the only judge and jury.
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“Do not judge, or you, too, will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matt 7; 1-3). 

And, we still pass judgement as though it is our place to do so!

But, what if we weren't so quick to pass judgement on others? What if we looked at violent situations as an opportunity to exercise compassion? 

What if we humbly asked God to transform us?  What if we were able to become more like Him? What if we were transformed to such a degree that we were able to show compassion to others-to displace our prejudices with acceptance and love?  Would we still be so racist? Would our society still cause violence and death to its own children? Would we still look at the death of our young, black youth as a reason to cause violence?  Or would we reach out before things got out of control?

Would we see a "selfish" man who "had everything" take his own life, or would we see a man who had an insidious brain disease who felt he had no place to turn? What if, in asking the Lord to give  us compassion, we asked God to humbly remove our OWN character defects, in order that we may share in this transformation?

My prayer this day:  Heavenly Father, I humbly ask your help in becoming transformed into the person you want me to be...to be more like You.  I ask that you remove my negativity and my instinct to judge others, and to replace my judgement with love and compassion for others.  Please show me Your Way, Father God. Please help me see another point of view and not just my own. Help me be a sheep who can follow her Shepherd and become more Christ-like.  I humbly ask these things in the name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  AMEN.