Don't judge others......

 

 

For the past fortnight I've had a bright red beard with dreadlocks and beads in it. I must admit (apart from the pain) it looked spectacular but not everyone thought so. I had a few people remark on 'the look' most of whom were passing strangers who have no idea who I am or why I had a bright red, dreadlocked beard. My favourite comment was when I was walking down the Elizabeth street and a guy with BRIGHT orange trainers (not just bright orange but BRIGHT orange) walked past and called me a, "Freak." I should have hugged him, I've always wanted to be a freak, always wanted to be different. He may have made my week. Here's a quick look at the freak....

But his comment did make me think, what does what we wear say about who we are? Do we judge people by how they dress? Of course we do. Recently one of the ladies of the church apologise to me that their child had come to church in jeans - I don't care, at least they were there, they can wear what they like.

If you've ever been to Piccadilly Circus in London you will have seen the punks. Bright, spiky hair; make up; tight, torn clothes; piercings and that's just the boys. I remember my mother telling me that they were, "Just trying to make a statement." I'm still not sure what that statement is short of the obvious and I'm not having a second blog with swearing in it yet (I'm still getting over the complaints from the first!).

The polar opposite of the punks, of course, are the be-suited corporate wanna-bes whose dark suit and designer shoes are every bit as much of uniform and a statement as the spiky hair and piercings. They scream - I want to belong, I want to be successful, I want to be a clone of my boss.

But which of the two groups are more valuable as people?

Does my worth depend on whether my beard is tidy or not?

Does your value depend on whether you fit my idea of what a person should dress like?

Are we better Christians because we wear suits to church?

OF COURSE NOT!!!

What you wear is as ridiculous a way of judging others as what colour your eyes are. "Oh sorry, you have green eyes - you can't come in to our church, we're a blue eyes only congregation." It's the whole 'don't judge a book by its cover thing.

Everyone is different - get over it! We all have different tastes and different likes. Even though I can't understand it not everyone likes the light operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan and some people do like One Direction (I mean, per-lezzzzze, One Direction???) but as I say everyone is different.

Thinking of that - we all sin differently too (and we do sin, each one of us, and that means YOU dear reader). You're view of what constitutes sin may be very different to mine - I have a massive problem with the Church using guilt and the threat of damnation as its primary weapon of conversion - throwing around the "SIN" word and the "HELL" word in order to try and convince you of the love of God. It always sounds  to me like, "God loves you so much that he is going to burn you in a fire for ever, you pitiful little worm!"And that view of God troubles me, but don't let that fool you into thinking that I don't believe in sin. I do, I just don't believe in judging others for they way they sin. I have a log in my eye and I ain't gonna try and take the speck in yours out!

Again I'm not saying we shouldn't stand up for the right, show our principles and stop bigotry racism, sexism, and the other evils we see, when we see them but let's try and quit the judging game.

Judging people for the way they sin, especially because it is different from the way you sin, is always to be wrong. Forget the judging - start the loving. Love people for who they are, not what you want them to be - do that (as consistently as we can) and we take another small step along the pathway to being more Christlike whether you believe in him nor not.