Learning not to judge

Before I came to Korea I had big ideas about what I would do while here. I planned to get involved with an orphanage. I was going to help the orphans.

Oh no I'm not. The Creator had a different plan for me. If I am to be more like Christ, I have to be more like Christ. I'm not conforming to the image of Christ if I am judging people. A lot of people. I thought I had already worked through that, but obviously not as much as I thought.

Now my judgements aren't very blunt and vocal any more, so I guess that's why I thought I'd worked through that *more than I really had*. However, leave it up to YHWH to orchestrate the details to bring about situations that show me just how little I've actually come (or how much farther I have to go...depending on how you want to view the glass...half full/half empty). I am so thankful for these growing pains. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to see that I really have no idea about anything, and that I am in no place to judge. I judge according to what *little* I see and it's not what it appears to be. Thank You Jesus for teaching me these hard lessons. And thank You for teaching them in a gentle and loving way!

Today I was able to learn just how much a mom does love her children, how much she sacrifices to provide for them. A love that would cause you to give your children over to complete strangers, in a foreign land, to keep during the week so you can work long hours to make enough money to send them to live with relatives in a different country. I just assumed that parents like this didn't want their kids around, didn't enjoy them, and dare I be honest and say I judged that they didn't love them as much as I love mine. Such hateful thoughts! How dare I judge like that. I have no idea how these parents are in these situations. I can assume, but that doesn't do any good. All I know, is today I saw a mom who loves her kids! Today I saw a mom who wants to be with her kids, but for whatever circumstances, must be separated from them in order to provide at the moment. I saw a mom who was waiting to see her kids, and was so excited to hold them. I saw a mom who, though she has no idea, taught me that love in hard places doesn't mean it's less of a love than what I have for my kids.

So I guess we moved to Korea so I could have an eye opening. I guess we moved to Korea to teach me how to love like Christ. I guess we moved to Korea to slay that Pharisee that wants to show it's nasty self in me. I guess we moved to Korea to break down my prejudices, my unfounded logic, my hatefulness.

Abba, Father, mold me into the image of Christ! Continue the work You've started in me, and continue to perfect it until the day I die!