Judging

What a title, huh? I never cease to amaze myself with stupidity some days! I'm driving into work this morning (which I must say was a breeze after a 2 1/2 hour trip yesterday due to an interstate accident) when I pull onto the main four lane highway. This highway runs between Birmingham and Jasper and is the main artery that I have to take to get to the interstate. I live on one side of the county near the Jefferson/Walker County line but work on the entire other side of the county near the Jefferson/Shelby County line.

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As I pull across the first two lanes of traffic and wait for traffic to clear the other two lanes so I could merge I noticed a little black car behind me. This car was about to have a come apart it seemed like because it was taking me so long to merge. I drive a big truck so I am not able to just whip in and out of traffic like this little car could.

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I had no more pulled into the first lane when this car came flying around me and I glanced over and recognized it as being a car I had seen numerous times in my church parking lot. I know the lady who drives that car quite well as she helps with our youth group. "Hmmm" I thought "I will remember this if my kid ever wants to get in the car with her!"

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I continued to watch this car as it buzzed in and out of traffic, cutting people off and not using their blinker! Man I hate it when people don't use their blinkers! If you're going to cut me off at least give me the courtesy of a heads up and let me know! Puh-leeze! The crazier this car drove the more judgmental I got (as if I had never driven that way before!). "I can't believe she is driving like that! What is she thinking! Does she not think people will see her and then she'll expect parents to actually allow their children to get in the car with her! How dare she?!?!?"

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I had no more finished 'dropping the gavel' I guess you could say when a thought struck me...the lady at church who drives a car like that has a convertible. A convertible?!?! What?!?!? No, that is her! I begin to almost argue with myself. I sped up trying to catch this car (driving like she was of course) and the closer I got I began to realize that this car was a hard top and not a convertible. I pressed on and as soon as I got beside the car and glanced over it was a MAN! It wasn't the lady I attended church with!!! You want to talk about being humbled and feeling ashamed of yourself!

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A red light was fast approaching and I hung my head down and begin to beg God to forgive me for being so judgemental and thinking I was Queen Sheba or something. I drive like a crazy woman all the time and never think twice about if a church member or fellow parents sees me. I have even joked about the way I drive and warned parents in a joking way about the way I drive. Funny how I was so quick to judge this person!

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Isn't it funny how quickly we point out the sins of others but we don't point out our own sins? I wonder if that is because we are scared of what we will uncover if we begin to tear ourselves down layer by layer. Matthew 7:1 says "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." I do believe that it is time that I begin to take a long hard look at myself and judge myself every single day, all day long and leave the judgment of other people up to God! What do you think?