“Judge not, that you be not judged… Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you… Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7:1,7, and 12 NKJV
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.”
The more I get to know people beyond surface measures, I realize that how true that quote really is: I have yet to meet someone without struggles you wouldn’t notice by looking at them.
When backdropped with the Bible verse about not judging, it emphasizes how little we know anyone else’s heart condition and have no place to judge.
When paired with knocking, asking, and receiving, you can notice and share one another’s burdens in a trusting friendship.
When placed next to doing to others what you would have them do to you, it invites compassion into all facets of life.
So often I read these verses from a condemning voice. “Don’t judge!” “You won’t get it unless you ask!” “If you’re mean, people will be mean back, so be nice!”
But what these verses are inviting is this: not being labeled from a single action; looking for good and you’ll find it; asking for help from helpful people who can be counted on to listen; and know that if this is how you treat people, it will come full-circle to you when you need the same offering of human compassion.
I know there are a lot of religions that believe those things, but they’re rooted in Jesus’ words in Matthew 7.
It is very important to have Jesus as my source for these good things. For if I thought I was capable of delivering any one of these sentiments on my own I would be lying to myself and hit the slippery slope of being self-righteous.
I cannot be compassionate without having received compassion.
I cannot see good things without seeing the Creator of good things within them.
I would judge quickly anything that is outside of myself if I didn’t know that one day I will be judged in the same accord by God. (And who do you think I’m named after if not a biblical judge?)
I can only give what I have received. And I have received Christ in every way. In compassion, mercy, and grace. By not being held at arms length until I’ve cleaned myself up, but instead being accepted as a filthy shamed sinner and coming into my role as a daughter of the King of the Universe.
My Creator.
My Father.
He knows all of me and He does not judge me harshly. He shows me His character and washes away my sins whenever the world threatens to bring me back into shame and filth, trying to convince me that I’m not worthy. God stands in the gap. He stops the judgmental thoughts from taking over and He cleans me up and brings me back in. He shows me the sane compassion over and over again without fatigue because He loves me and wants to be with me always.
I have had the immense honor and privilege to hear some of my friend’s battles and bring their burdens to the alter of Christ. And even after hearing the initial battles, getting to hear the layers beneath, learning their hearts, and getting to glimpse their hurt, I am more honored to be their friend.
So I desire to live with compassion, and bear you up to Christ in prayer, because He has done immeasurably more for me – how could I not extend the same kindness?
Be kind.
Know that everyone has hidden battles.
Knock on other’s hearts with compassion; you may be allowed to glimpse the beauty and awe of how God shows up when we bear one another’s burdens to Christ.