Standards, Convictions, & Judgement

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Recently the subject of standards has come up a number of times in various converstations that I've had with different people. It amazes me how heated those discussion can get at times, and how much flack you can get if you don't believe the same way as someone else. It seems that may Christians are so concerned about outward apperances that they ignore what someone's like on the inside. Many times I have seen a woman who wears pants looked down on by other Christians. They see what she's wearing, and immediately decide that she's not right with God. However, more often than not, I find that those people that are looked down upon love God just as much as, if not more than, those that are judging her. When did what we wear, listen to, and do become a siign of whether or not someone's right with God?

A good, lovely, Godly Christian on the outside is not always a good, lovely, Godly Christian on the inside. I have seen instances where friendships have been torn apart because of disagreement over dress standards. You know what? Most of the time the ones being the most mean and brutal about it were the ones with the highest standards. That realization shook me to my core. It changed my perspective of what a good, lovely, Godly Christian was.

If our insides are worthy of being a good example, our outsides will follow. We may not always agree with other people's "outsides", but because our insides are right, that won't matter. If our example in spirit is right, we will be able to be examples in word, lifestyle, love, faith, and purity. And that, in the end, is what will bring the most glory to God.   

1 Samuel 16:7b …for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1 Timothy 4:12 ... be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

We are not commanded to be an example in just a couple of these areas, but in all of them. We often get so caught up in being an example in one of these areas that we forget the others.

I could be the best example ever in my words, but if I am not an example in purity, then all is for nothing. Similarly, I could have the highest standards in living- music, dress, places I go, etc.- but if my spirit isn't correct, none of that matters. A lot of times we have that backwards. Sometimes we tend to think that because we’re a good church girl, we’re somehow more spiritual than others- maybe even "more saved" than others. If we only listened to the most conservative Christian music, never go into "bad stores" in the mall, our skirts went to our ankles, and culottes are the epitome of sacred-ness, then outwardly, we are perfectly in line with what some believe is everything a good Christian girl should be, but what about inwardly?

It would often surprise you if you could see inside the one who appears to be the good church girl, the one who you think from looking at her is one of the best Christians because she dresses the right way, talks the right way, and listens to the right things. Sometimes the one who seems to be the perfect example is really only an example on the outside. Inside, they may be bitter, rebellious, judging, and the list could go on and on. I know this because that used to be me. I wore nothing but skirts or culottes , listened only to the most conservative Christian music, and never dreamed of going to a movie theater. Outside, I seemed like the perfect little Christian girl. Inside was a completely different story. My heart was full of bitterness. I was rebellious, not outwardly, but inwardly. I didn't want to be known as the "goody two shoes" or "that religious girl" anymore. If I saw a Christian woman wearing anything except a skirt or culottes, I immediately looked down on them and thought that they weren't as "religious" or "spiritual" as I was. Thankfully, God did a work in my heart, and with His help I got rid of the bitterness and rebellion, and wasn't so quick to judge. I finally realized that it was not the outward appearance that mattered, but what we looked like on the inside.

I'm not writing this post to judge anyone or to get anyone to change their convictions or standards.. I'm just trying to get people to think. These things (dress, music, places we go, things we do) are personal convictions. Everyone has a right to their own beliefs and convictions on these things, so who are we to judge them? 

“Let every man judge according to his own standards, by what he has himself read, not by what others tell him.

“We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.”

“To judge between good or bad, between successful and unsuccessful would take the eye of a God.”