It’s so hard not to judge…
I had a very interesting few days at work last week. You see, we normally have 3 people in the front office, last week we were down to two. Everyone needs a vacation, Lord knows I’ve taken a few. That’s not the issue.
The issue is that I was a little concerned about having to work alone with my not so favorite coworker. She’s not all that bad, she’s just not someone I could get along with for very long outside of work. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m quite regemented. I like order, stucture, rules, and organization.
This woman has been on The Price is Right. She comes to work every day with a Quad-shot from Starbucks. She greets everyone who walks through the door like they’ve been gone for the last three years on a deep sea voyage. She has 13 brightly colored picture frames on her desk. Nuff said?! Okay. I thought so.
I was kind of dreading this past week because I was sure that at some point I would completely lose my mind, reach for my seraded letter opener, and run full force in her direction. Luckily, for both of us, that didn’t even come close to happening.
Instead, a totally unexpected and somewhat amazing thing happened. We got along! She didn’t annoy me. We worked pretty well together. We were able to keep the chaos at a minimum and help each other out! We both reached for the phone when it seemed like it was constantly ringing off the hook. We covered each other’s lunch breaks. We offered to help each other out when we couldn’t figure out where something was or what we were supposed to be doing. We both came in a little early or stayed a little late to manage the extra work that needed to be done. All in all, the week that I had been dreading for quite some time just flew by, with little incident or mishap.
Now, I’m not saying that all of a sudden we are BFF or that we had a slumber party and braided each other’s hair. Not even close. But ya know, it was okay.
And ya know why it was okay?! Because I was soooo busy I didn’t have time to judge her (as often) or focus on the little things she does that annoyed (and still do) me.
No one is perfect. It is so easy to focus on someone else’s shortcomings and flaws. Their sins, if you will. Everyday we (especially me) spend so much time judging others, we don’t take the time to judge ourselves.
As a Christian I’m easily labeled as someone who is overly judgemental. Sometimes (too many times) that is the case. I think everyone would benefit from a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. I think everyone should obey and appreciate rules. (My Dad was a drill sergeant.) But me quoting scripture and throwing a Bible in your face is not going to make you scream, “Sign me up!” If you’re not ready, you’re not ready. If anything, I will most likely push you even farther away.
The sad thing is, some of the people (like me) who are so Hell-bent on judging others and pointing out all their short-comings could really benefit from turning some of that energy on themselves. So, with that being said, I’m going to close with a few Bible verses. I know, I just talked about not throwing a Bible in your face. That’s why I’m warning you now…if you don’t want to read them, quit reading right….NOW!
Matthew 7
Judging Others
1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
For those of you that did read to the end…take care and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Tiffany on July 28th, 2008 | File Under Life, Vacation, Work, friends | No Comments -